Dragon of the West
by Sniper Artist
Summary: Upon his tearful death, the 7th Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto meets a dragon. Given a second chance to live, he is sent to Fiore or more specifically Magnolia. Pre-canon Fairy Tail. Naruto X Fairy tail.
1. The Dragon of the Night

_**The Dragon of the West**_

_A Fanfiction by: Sniper Artist_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Fairy Tail. I am only using their respective characters for a fanfiction._

_Summary: Upon his tearful death, Naruto meets a dragon. Given a second chance to live, he is sent to Fiore or more specifically Magnolia. Pre-canon Fairy Tail. Naruto X Fairy tail. _

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_At the Valley of the End _

A hero.

A hero's discription has always been changed over the course of time and space. Some were strong but incredibly greedy men. Some were compassionate but naive teenagers. Some were strong and sexy women that fought till the ends of the earth. Some were old and wise beyond many through years of experience. Uzumaki Naruto, the 7th Hokage of Konohagakure was a combination of the second and fourth explanations. At a young age, Naruto was always naive to the things around him. Never in his life did he expect the villains of his village actually had good intentions. All he wanted to do was fight and be loved. He was always hesitant with making such difficult decisions. And this was his cost.

Here he layed on the ground next to his fallen friend Uchiha Sasuke. Both were tired out of their minds and exhaustion consumed them both fully. Never in his life did he expect his best friend to try something ludacris like attempting the destruction of a village that loved him. He let his anger control his actions and like Naruto, he payed the terrible price.

The battle that had happened at this valley would be something most would call legendary. Momentous moments after the other, flashing lights from both of their most powerful techniques clashing throughout the area. Explosions and chaos was the only thing that could describe such a battle. Such was the fight of two men whom were beyond the level of Kage. Naruto turned his head to looked at the man he once considered a friend and remembered the words he had said to him.

_"Even if we do end up dying, at least we'll no longer be Uchiha and the Kyuubi. Not burdened by any of that, we'll be able to truly understand one another in the next world!" _Those were the exact words he'd said to him. After all this time, he still thought of him as a friend. Naruto didn't understand it at all. Maybe this was the cost of trying to be a hero. After all if a ninja tried to be a hero only death and trajedy awaited. Like Jiraiya, like his father and like the 3rd Hokage. He would be added to the list along with them unfortunately. He let out a resigned sigh and tried to gather the rest of his energy.

"S-S-Sasuke...you awake there?..." There was no immediate answer but a grunt was all he needed to confirm his consciousness. The black haired man tilted his head slightly and decided to answer. "What?" the annoyance and exhaustion clear in his voice.

"Looks like we're dead. Told ya so..." He grinned cheekily. Sasuke can only look up at the sky in disbelief, unable to comprehend how his former best friend and the only man he could possibly respect could smile at a time like this. They were dying a slow painful death. It was the worse way to die for Sasuke. So much shame in his actions but not once did he regret them.

"Hn...atleast you will be going first..." He knew they both had no chance of being saved. So at the very least he wouldn't let the idiot have the satisfaction of being alive longer then he did. No matter the situation, it was always a contest between the two. Naruto wanted to laugh but he couldn't in his beaten state. He couldn't help but feel nostalgia of the old days when Sasuke was more or less sane.

"We'll see you bastard...we'll see." Naruto answered back with faint vigour. Sasuke grunted, accepting the final challenge of the blonde Hokage. Naruto smiled, it really was just like old times.

* * *

_The Forest. _

"Hurry up sensei! Madara said they were here." A pink haired young lady spoke. She was running through the forest at speeds unimaginable to the naked eye. Her worry clear in her voice. Why? her best friend and former crush were fighting eachother to the _death. _Who in their right mind wouldn't be scared of the situation. They along with the leaders of the alliance had defeated Madara and got the information out if him.

"I know..." She knew he was just as worried but something in his voice almost broke her heart. Like he knew or figured out something she didn't and was keeping it from her. She didn't feel like asking, it would only serve to distract her.

_"Please...I'm almost there!" _She yelled in her mind. Not willing to accept the fact that the chakra had died off long ago. Kakashi knew this as well and knew the reality of it.

They made it, just to see both bodies lay there motionless. Neither could speak a word.

* * *

_10 minutes before. _

"You still there?" Naruto spoke out calmly, feeling his end approaching he decided to say his final words to his rival. But this time there was no answer. Dread started to fill him. He called out his name again to make sure if he was ok.

"Sasuke?" The grief and sadness in his voice gradually grew more and more after each call. After a few more, his eyes started to sting realizing his victory. One he never intended to win. He wanted to die first but it seemed he was wrong...He was always wrong when it came to his best friend.

"Sasuke, dammit you can't be dead already..." Naruto couldn't even feel the tears running down his face. The reality had finally struck him like a lightning bolt. His best friend had passed on and now he was alone again. By himself, he was reminded of how frightening it was to be lonely. Looking at the sky he remembered the memories of him and his team. The smiles, the laughter. It was the best feeling in the world compared to what he felt now. Silent sobs started to come out of him, unable to contain them any longer he let it all out. The pent of sadness and regrets he's had in his life. Every minute, he felt the light fade more and more from his sight.

"I win..." Instead of happiness, the voice was filled with nothing but pain. He closed his eyes, never to see the light of day again.

In this world at least.

* * *

_Unknown area._

Naruto's eyes shot open when he felt he was still alive. He was on the ground on what it looked like a mountain trail. He was confused, maybe this was heaven?' he thought with a smile. He tried to get up and groaned in pain. The soreness from the battle still affected him here for some reason but it would disappear in a few minutes. His chakra was full and he still felt the Kyuubi's. A flicker of hope entered his body. Maybe he was still alive?

"Weird place." The blonde was surrounded by trees with black and white colored trees. The mountain trail looked like it led upward and Naruto felt a very weird sensation. He had no idea what heaven looked like so maybe this was hell? He sighed, that would suck in his opinion. Naruto started moving forward up the road and was stopped when he heard a roar coming from the top. He ran immediately there to check it out but was shocked when he saw the scene.

A black dragon with fangs the size of building towered him. The beast had darks eyes and blood red slits. His entire body was probably 7 times the size of the Hokage building. Naruto could feel the Kyuubi shivering at the sight of the being. Not in fear but in excitement.

_**"You are Uzumaki Naruto?" **_The blonde nodded, unable to contain his look of confusion.

_**"I would like to ask of your help. You see my colleagues have all picked a pupil to train but I haven't. And well... I need you to be my pupil." **_Naruto almost laughed. The fierce being in front of him almost sounded nervous.

"What's the catch?"

_**"I'm gonna make you young again." **_Now Naruto took this offensively. He was 23 for god sakes, how old does this thing think he is. He even looked young.

Noticing his offended look, the dragon sighed. _**"I meant younger than you are now. You see my friends have been waging bets on which of their pupils will be the best and you look like a really fast learner. Their pupils are mostly around the age of 4-15 so I'm gonna make you 12 again for now." **_Naruto nodded. Feeling like his life was cut short, he decided to go along with it. He wasn't the type to turn an offer like this and he also needed away to forget his past.

"Sure why not." The dragon smiled, already liking the kid in front of him.

_**"The name's Tridantes kid. I'm the Dragon of the West and the traveler of the night." **_Naruto nodded, ready to start his new life. A fresh start. It made him happy but at the same time sad because he wouldn't be seeing his family anytime soon.

_"They can wait a little longer. They wouldn't be happy about me dying at age 23 anyways." _Naruto thought to himself.

"Let's get this party started sensei." The dragon nodded and immediately started his training. Naruto felt his body grow smaller and realized that the dragon was making him younger again.

_**"Let's see how fast you learn boy."**_

And with that, Naruto started his new training regiment. Eager to learn new skills and hoping for a new adventure.

* * *

End for now.

Prologue. I know I should be working on my other story but I couldn't help myself. So I hope you enjoyed this little preview.

It seems Naruto and Fairy Tail crossovers are the next big thing so I decided to make one. Things will be explained next chapter. I'm gonna take this slow unlike my other story.

Theres quite a few Naruto X Erza out there so I think I'll make a different pairing. No harem, not my style. Probably Cana but I might go with Mira. Most likely Cana. I like those cards shes has.

~Sniper Artist


	2. Sake of the Night

_**The Dragon of the West**_

_A Fanfiction by: Sniper Artist_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Fairy Tail. I am only using their respective characters for a fanfiction._

_Summary: Upon his tearful death, Naruto meets a dragon. Given a second chance to live, he is sent to Fiore or more specifically Magnolia. Pre-canon Fairy Tail. Naruto X Fairy tail**.  
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_The Ruins of the Dark Night_

_3 years later_

_**"Not bad, not bad at all..." **_

Tridantes, the dragon of the West and traveler of the starry night looked down from his hilltop position and watched his pupil finish up the last of his training. The blonde had grown considerably from his 12 year old form. The black dragon snorted in amusement at the blonde's condition. A 26 year old man inside of a 15 year old's body, not even a dragon like him would see that often. He sighed, it was time for his departure and Naruto still hasn't completed his final technique. Maybe the blonde wasn't the best student for him after all.

_**BRRROOOOOOOOOM**_

Or not, man what perfect timing the kid had. His smile grew larger if possible and flew to his student and took a good, final look at his masterpiece production. The blonde was 5'11, he wore a black leather armor that was sleeveless on his right side but had shoulder pads and sleeves going down below his elbows on his left. He also had black baggy pants and a gray sash wrapped around his waist.

_**"Done I see. You're definitely a fast learner boy." **_Naruto sighed. Even after spending 3 years with the elder dragon, he was still plastered with that nickname. But he was pleasantly surprised by the upgrade the anti-dragon training gave his body. Though he lost over half his techniques, all the training made up for it. The consequences of being in a different dimension had hit him after his first year into training.

The incident happened when he suddenly started to lose the memories of his past. It wasn't really a problem at first but when he started to lose his ability to do ninjutsu, the blonde started to panic. He also didn't want to forget his old friends like Shikamaru, Sakura, Sai and etc... In the end, Naruto was forced to write down notes of his memories so he could remember them when he eventually forgot. He retained his signature moves, Rasengan, Kage Bunshin, Sage Mode and a few dozen wind/water techniques but forgot all the rest sadly. He was more focused on the memories of his friends rather than techniques at the time. Luckily he also retained his sealing skills and placed a bounding seal to attach his memories to a medium. Tsunade's necklace.

So in short, as long as he had the necklace around his neck the memories would stay with him forever. That was without a doubt the scariest week Naruto's ever had in his 26 years of life. The stupid dragon didn't even tell him about the memory loss symptom and replied with a "You didn't ask". That made Naruto angry like never before but let it go deciding that he only lost expendable memory.

"Yep, so you're leaving huh? You did say it was overdue." The dragon nodded and grinned proudly at his pupil. Naruto was saddened by the information but it was overshadowed by the sheer excitement in his body. He was finally gonna go out and do missions like the good old days. Sure the conditions were a bit different but this was the beginning to his fresh start. His fresh identity.

_**"Before I leave, I have a gift for you." **_Tridantes threw a small object at him. Naruto caught it and looked at it with a confused expression. It was a beautifully designed black gourd with white petal designs. It was filled with royal black sake.

"What's this for?" The dragon laughed and told him to drink it. Naruto was hesitant to do so but complied and immediately felt the effects.

"Whoa!" The dragon laughed at him.

_**"The sake of the dragons. Night sake. Helps you go to sleep, cures symptoms of depression and fuels your Dragonslayer power." **_Naruto laughed and understood the use for it. It was for an emergency if darkness was ever out of reach. That situation was high unlikely but he wouldn't take any chances. This world was a mystery to him after all.

"Awesome. What happens when it runs out?" The dragon looked at him as if he just said the most brilliant thing in the world. Naruto fell down in exasperation at the implications his master had just given him. Tridantes immediately broke down laughing and carefully patted the blonde with his pinky.

_**"Just howl at the sky and come back here a week after it runs out. I'll have someone deliver it to ya." **_Naruto smiled and nodded at his teacher.

"So...um this is goodbye." He was holding back tears. Though the thing was a jerk at times, he was like a third father to him.

_**"For now. Remember don't tell any other Dragonslayer the "secret'." **_He gave Naruto a goodbye pat on the back making him fly 20 feet backwards at the impact. Laughing at his pupil's expense one last time he proceeded to fly off into the night and disappeared into the skies.

Standing on top of the hilltop, Naruto stared at the form of his disappearing master. He shed a few tears but quickly forgot it and went to get his traveling items. Naruto looked at his master's gourd one last time and let out a genuine smile. His brain then clicked.

"Wait! What "secret'? Dammit, he tricked me again!" He cursed his master and howled at the sky, angry at his forgetfulness. He was unaware of the laughter of his master from a far.

_**"I love messing with that kid."**_

* * *

_Week later_

Naruto was tired. He had been traveling for an entire week without rest due to his blazing excitement. His hyperactiveness finally become his downfall when he collapsed in a heap right in front of the town he'd been aiming for. Magnolia the home of the mage guild, Fairy Tail. He had heard rumors of another dragonslayer being there and his curiosity turned into interest from that. His blood was boiling for battle. Shinobi or mage, it didn't matter because it was the blood running in his veins that made him addicted to fighting. He really wanted to get up and run to the guild.

But his legs weren't listening to him.

"Are you ok?" He looked up and saw a woman with brown hair and dark blue eyes. She was wearing a bikini style top and knee high black shorts. On her lower body she had a very noticable tattoo.

"That's one sexy tattoo you got there. Yeah I'm fine, thanks for askin Miss..."

"Cana." She smiled at the comment.

"I'm Naruto. Hey I recognize that tattoo... Are you part of Fairy Tail?" She nodded and showed off her mark with pride. She truly loved her guild more than anything and she had no shame when showing it off where ever she went.

"Yep, you a mage?" She saw him nod and pulled out one of her cards.

"Let me help ya." He saw her cards glow majestic green and red for a second and struck his legs.

_**"Magic Cards: Queen of Hearts!" **_When the glow wrapped around his legs, he immediately felt the fatigue leave him. He stood up and looked at her with awe.

"Hey that's awesome! I didn't know you could do that with cards." He chuckled at fond memories of him and Tsunade playing poker together every friday night.

Cana looked at him curiously. "What exactly can you do with cards?" Naruto smirked.

"Win money." She chuckled at the joke.

"So you're a mage huh? Come on, I'll show you to the guild." She saw his excitement and stifled a chuckle. He was like Natsu except more interesting and not as loud.

"So where'd you come from?" Naruto put his hands to his chins in a thinking posture.

"A small town near the west." Cana rose her eyebrow by a fraction, interested in the vague answer.

"Which one?" Naruto's eyes immediately saddened. Cana took notice of it and regretted asking the question.

"I don't know the name but it was destroyed by Deliora when I was a kid." Cana nodded her head and patted his back.

"Sorry if I..."

"No worries, now I'm here. It's all in the past." His smile threw her for a loop. She didn't pry and decided to change the subject.

"So what's your magic?" Naruto sighed inwardly in relief. He didn't like lying but he was so damn good at it!

_**"Yep, congratulations brat. You fooled another human with no skills in reading another. Real skills." **_The fox didn't speak often but whenever he did, it was usually a snarky and sarcastic comment. So he replied in the usual way.

_"Go back to sleep before I shove a rasenshuriken up your ass!" _He heard the fox snort but complied. Naruto sighed. Even after taming him, he was still a big pain in the ass.

"Hmm, my my that's a secret hehe." She couldn't help but be annoyed by the answer but relented. She stopped and looked up at the building she considered a second home to home.

"And here it is! Welcome to Fairy Tail." She smiled widely as did the blonde. Naruto's eyes looked at the building with awe and amazement.

"It's huge! Man this is gonna be fun." Immediately entering the guild with his luggage, they walked in and saw a good number of people around chatting and eating like everyday people. Naruto saw the request board and was impressed by it's size. He'd never go broke again.

"Oi, master. We have a newbie here tryin out for the guild. His name's Naruto." All eyes were instantly on him. Completely used to attention he smiled a million watt smile and waved at everyone.

"Hmm...a new guy huh, let's see what you got." An elderly man approached Naruto and seized him up for a moment. Naruto couldn't help but feel the sheer amount of magical power the smaller man/midget had. It rivaled the amounts that Kisame had back in the days, maybe even more because he was surpressing most of it. Naruto shivered slightly, this man/midget was definitely the boss if his magical power could rival that of Kisame and possibly Nagato, master of the seventh path of Pain _**(1). **_

"Welcome to Fairy Tail young man. I can tell you've got some experience in those eyes of yours." Naruto nodded.

"Well than, you can take jobs anytime you want but notify me or the front desk first." Makarov put his hands to chin in a thinking posture, he looked at the young man infront of him. His magic power was being completely hidden and the amounts he had were still phenomenal. He looked upstairs and saw that his S-ranked mages excluding Mistgun, who was absent, were thinking the same. He looked at the top floor and saw Gildartz sigh and rub his head.

"Cana found a good one. His magical energy is so light on the outside...but it's also dark somewhere inside. Not to mention his dark powers out-numbers his light in quantity." Gildartz whispered to himself.

"Oh yeah, you need the mark...Oi Mira!" The white haired teen walked up to Naruto with a stamp in her hand and a scowl on her face.

"Where?" Naruto thought for a moment and grinned. He lifted his shirt, ignoring her growing blush and pointed to his stomach. Right next to where his seal was. She nodded and complied.

"Sweet." Makarov nodded and smiled widely and jumped up to the top floor.

"Oi! We're havin a welcoming party today! Get the drinks out!" Everyone yelled ecstatically for the party to get started.

* * *

_Later that Night. _

_Fairy Tail's roof_

The party was fun for Naruto. He hadn't laughed and drunk like that in a longtime being that he never had time for it in the past. It was always taking lives day and night for him and his friends. He had to go through never ending training to catch up with the "genius" of his best friend. Eventually he would have cracked but he died before than. He looked down at his new guild and produced a grateful smile. Remembering his master's present, he picked up the gourd tied to his waist and took in it's appearance.

"To a new beginning!" He said to himself and sipped it, immediately feeling the power of the Night fueling him.

The power of Darkness running through his veins.

* * *

End.

Not that long but it was enough of an introduction for now. As you can see and most have guessed, he's the dragon slayer of the night a.k.a darkness. Naruto has grown very strong now so don't expect him to go all out from the beginning.

_**1) **_Nagato was strong and was said to have been the 7th pain. The master of life an death. He also had an inhumane amount of chakra if he destroyed the Leaf and take on a sage form Naruto.

Naruto/Cana all the way. I was tempted to do Erza but someone else has that one and I like to be original in pairings.

I have his dragonslayer moves laid out so don't worry too much about that.

_~Sniper Artist_


	3. Those of Otherworld

_**The Dragon of the West**_

_A Fanfiction by: Sniper Artist_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Fairy Tail. I am only using their respective characters for a fanfiction._

_Summary: Upon his tearful death, Naruto meets a dragon. Given a second chance to live, he is sent to Fiore or more specifically Magnolia. Pre-canon Fairy Tail. Naruto X Fairy tail_

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_Lobby of Fairy Tail, few days later._

"Team?"

Makarov nodded. He'd just explained the benefits of being in a team to their newest member of the guild. Naruto looked around the room and tried to gauge everyones specific level via spiritual potency. He wanted to hit the B and A ranked missions immediately which meant he needed teammates at a decent level enough to not get hurt. The possibility of going solo was open but the master had disapproved of the very idea due to his "new" status. Naruto looked at Cana and instantly added her to the potentials list of his team after remembering her card tricks. Guessing that she was a mid to long range fighter and not to mention the healing move she possessed, he had no problems with working with her. Looking around the room, he still needed a support type member to back up and defend during battle if needed. It was the basic principle of assembling a team, you always, _always,_ needed insurance just in case something went wrong. There was no such thing as a guaranteed victory when out in the field, the mission to Wave back when he was a child was very proof of it. The simple C-rank mission had turned A-rank just because they were fed bad information and it led to the near deaths of them all.

"Hey boss, are their any support type magic users around?" Makarov started petting his beard while thinking of the younger man's request. Thinking of a solution, he suddenly snapped his fingers and exquiped a small, green book into his hands. The blonde's eyebrows perked at the gesture.

"Look through here." Naruto nodded and saw that it was Fairy Tail's guild registry, A list of members and their general information. For example, their likes, dislikes and magic type. He saw the abilities of each mage they had and was pleasantly surprised at the versatility his new guild possessed. They had power houses, defense specialists and even medical types. He grew especially interested when he read about one of their mages using "Enchantment" magics. It vaguely resembled the art of sealing back in his old world, he thought to himself. Flipping through the "D" sections, he stopped and saw a particularly interesting name and ability.

"Dragneel Natsu, the fire Dragon Slayer. Interesting and rare." Makarov nodded, he himself had never imagined such a young child to possess such rare magic either when he came to the guild. Naruto looked at the rosy headed boy from across the room and smiled, he was probably wondering where his master went. Lucky for Naruto, his master, Tridantes played by his own rules. The dragon didn't tell the blonde of his intentions but he suspected it was something important if it was kept from him for so long.

"He is a very good powerhouse type. Kid may go overboard a bit but he's still a solid member." Naruto chuckled at the image of Natsu destroying the area with fire based attacked and causing sheer mayhem for his teammates.

"Those types tend to get into the most trouble." The elder man agreed and chuckled as well. The truth in the blonde's words were well placed. He was watching the boy read about the members and was very impressed by the way he categorized their advantages and disadvantages.

"Lucky Ollietta, wood based magic." Naruto smirked and looked for her in the lobby. Frowning when he noticed her absense.

"Hey boss, where's Lucky?" After a few minutes of thinking her shook his head and sighed.

"She's still on a mission. I...don't usually do this but, can you go back her up? Lucky tends to get in over her head often." Naruto nodded, knowing full well what it was like to do that. As a kid he usually took on things bigger than he could handle and often failed. But it made him better in the end.

"What mission is she on?" He saw the old man pulled out a paper that had "Devil Extermination" on the top. It had a reward of 400,000 jewels to kill a roaming monster in the south.

"Interesting pick. It's a B rank quest." Makarov nodded and repeated the fact that she often got into bad situations that were out of her skills.

"Alright, I'll be there in no time. I was planning on asking her to be on my team anyways." The elder man nodded already suspecting his intentions. After seeing the blonde leave the lobby and out of earshot, he immediately looked to his top floor to search for his grandson, Luxus.

"Luxus, I have a job for ya." Said man jumped down and looked at his grandfather. He was blonde and wore a big, yellow headphones that could have passed for his ears if looked from afar.

"What d'ya need gramps?" He looked at his grandson and sighed. A few moments ago he saw him try to sneak out through the second floor window, most likely to follow the guild's new guy.

"I know you're just as interested as I am about his magic. Can you follow him?" Luxus nodded, confirming the elder man's suspicions that he had about his grandson. The elder man had a feeling that he would've done so whether with his consent or not. Fortunately for Luxus, Makarov was also curious.

"Sure why not?" He smirked and bolted out of the room like lightning. The master sighed, his grandson was an even bigger show off than him when he was at that age.

* * *

_5 hours later_

Naruto was smart. He knew someone was following him and it was obviously someone strong if he went by the amount of magical power the person possessed. The blonde didn't care, if anything it would add onto his mystery. Naruto sighed, it was tough being unpredictable all the times. People just didn't understand the stress it put on one at all, he thought to himself.

"Now, I wonder where she is."

Walking to the town where the client came from, he took notice of the surrounding area. Bashed trees, burned grass and black soot was all over the premises, looking to his right he saw dead animals and several burned remains of those who stood up to the "Devil". Sighing in dismay, Naruto was glad that those back where he came from didn't hunt demons like this because he might have just been dead long ago.

He then suddenly snapped his head to the left when he heard a scream of pain. Dashing to the source of the scream with all his might, he made it to the scene just in time to see a violet haired teenage girl collapse in a heap near a closeby tree. Knowing who she was, Naruto rushed to her side to see if she needed any medical treatment. Looking at her wounds, he felt a feeling of great relief when none of which were fatal or potentially dangerous.

"Are you ok?" The girl looked up, eye's half lidded. She saw a handsome blonde haired boy trying his best to heal her wounds. Smiling at the gesture, she decided to answer.

"I'm fine but that thing picked me apart like a lion does to a mouse when it's locked in a 5x5 cage." Sweatdropping at the way she tried to express her problem, he nodded. Though he couldn't help but crack a smirk, the two he picked as teammates sure were weird.

"Hey you're part of Fairy Tail right?" She nodded. He grinned and showed his mark causing her eyes to widen by a fractiom.

"I'm the new guy, Naruto. I joined a few days ago. You need any help?" He saw her grin and that was enough of a yes for him. Turning back, he started to stretch for the upcoming battle.

"Careful, it uses sound magic. It also punches as hard as a tiger on steroids." Sweatdropping again at her attempt at a simile, he looked at the so called "Devil" and grinned. In his years, he'd definitely seen worse. For example, when he fought Itachi when Kabuto brought him back to life with the famed Edo Tensei. That was the 16th most troublesome day he's ever had in his life. Right after dealing with Temari when she was on her period.

"I'll be fine. This shouldn't take too long." She nodded hesitantly. She sensed him gathering an abnormal amount of magical energy into his right palm and just decided to watch him in action. She saw him approach the monster that was the size of a small mansion and looked up with what looked like a big stupid smirk on his face.

"Oi, big ugly, come down and here and get it." He yelled from his position. The monster was as big as the Hokage tower when it stood fully. It has one big horn stuck to the side of his head resembling the vikings of old. It's eyes were bloodshot and slitted meaning it was in a terrible berserk stage. That made it easier to fight ultimately, he thought in his mind.

Responding to the insult, The devil produced a large, ear splitting roar that was so powerful it caused the surrounding trees to snap into pieces. Grinning at the monster's attempt at destroying his ear drums, he looked at his palms and grinned at his masterpiece. His famed defense destroyer that surpassed that of the Forth Hokage. The move that destroyed, shredded and ultimately skewered Uchiha Sasuke's great Susano'o shield in a matter of seconds.

_**"Futon: Odama Rasengan! (Wind Release: Great Ball Spiraling Sphere)"**_ A bowling ball sized sphere of wind materialized in Naruto's hands, creating a lot of screeching sounds along the way. Luxus, whom was hidden, looked at the attack with a generous amount of curiosity. The amount of magical power gathered in his palm was extraordinary and not to mention it was condensed to the point that it might as well have been a sword.

The blonde looked at the distance from him to the monster's face and couldn't help but feel anxiety within him. He'd finally have the chance to test out his new Darkness/space/time magic. Focusing his spare magical energy, he made an attempt at the very first move his master, Tridantes, had taught him.

_**"Kage Eisha (Shadow Projection)."**_ A door made of majestic darkness suddenly appeared before him. He looked up and saw the same one right in front of the beast. Smirking, he stepped through the path of darkness and appeared where the other was. Right in front of the things face. Proceeding to slam his defense killer into it's eye, resulting with a loud painful shriek of pain and a huge amount of blood splattering around the area. Looking at the results, he smirked sadistically when half of the monster's face was skewered off leaving only half and eye and a brain visible.

"W-what was that?" Lucky looked at her soon to be teammate in awe. The move wasted the giant in a single moment. It cut through the rock hard face like a chainsaw through wood. She watched him walk towards her while getting rid of the blood stains.

"One of my attacks. Usually, I only use it on big targets like this guy." She nodded, forgetting to ask about the shadow that he had used to teleport his way to the monster's face.

Luxus on the other hand was smarter and more observant than that.

_"A powerful wind-based attack like that and a method of instant traveling using shadows. Interesting... He's also clever with the way he positioned his shadows as well. Speaking of shadows... If I didn't know any better, I'd think..." _Shaking his head, he proceeded to leave and report back to his grandfather about the power he'd seen the blonde use. Bolting out of the area like a wisp lightning, he only left a burn mark on the ground that would've indicated his presence.

"So, Lucky what do you think about forming a team?" She looked at him with a confused expression.

"W-why do you want me to join your team?" Naruto looked at her and gave her a bright smile.

"Because I think your magic is wonderful. Wood magic has many uses and I heard from the master that you are quite skilled at it." Blushing at his praise, she nodded her head.

"Emm... well it's alright. Hmm...sure I guess if you want to form a team. A team is usually made up of 3-5 members. Who else do you have in mind?" Going into his thinking posture, he sat down comfortably next to her.

"Cana and that's it for now. A three person cell is good enough since I can't think of any other person." She nodded, acknowledging his choice. Lucky had seen the other woman fight and was impressed by her skills as much. Her eyes suddenly showed realization when she reviewed his choices.

"You seem to be a planner of sorts. I'm guessing you're making it seem as though you are the powerhouse, I'm a support while Cana can attack from high and low and mid to long range. It's not a bad idea actually." Naruto smiled at her small deduction. He was after all the 7th Hokage. Naruto didn't want to brag but... his tactical mind when assigning teams were way better than any other Kage in the Elemental Countries.

"Brilliant deduction. I definitely made the right choice in choosing you." Returning his smile, she proceeded to stand back up only to stagger. Naruto saw this and moved in to help her move.

"Hey now, you're in no shape to be moving yet. I'll carry you back to the town and inform the client of the success." Picking her up bridal style, he sprinted back to the town.

He smiled, one down, one more to go for him.

* * *

_Fairy Tail lobby_

Naruto sat down and drank the sake he ordered. After confirming the defeat of the "Devil", he and Lucky came back to the guild. She was sent to the infirmary because of a soar ankle and broken bone on her right hand she had gotten in her fight before Naruto's arrival. He was paid half of course, though he didn't want it the master insisted since he saved one of his own guild members. There was no arguing that at all.

Right now he was thinking of a way to approach Cana and invite her to the team. He didn't want to be too blunt about it but he also didn't want to be to subtle about it. Sighing tiredly, Naruto looked at the clock and saw that it was almost midnight. Not having a place to live, he decided to go find a hotel to stay at for the night. Before he reached the gates of the building, his name was suddenly called by a familiar voice behind him. Turning around, the blonde was introduced to the sight of the very person he had trouble approaching.

"Hey Naruto. I heard you saved Lucky the other day." Cana said with a smile adjourning her features. Naruto nodded and returned the expression.

"Yeah, wanted to make a good impression y'know." He replied smoothly, trying to find a way to twist his words and find a way to switch the subject into teams.

"Yeah I know... Hey wanna go drink together sometimes? Beer tastes better when drinking with a friend rather than alone." She chuckled, Naruto smiled and couldn't believe his luck.

"I'd like that, hey there's something I wanna talk to you about." She gave him a curious expression but nodded nonetheless.

"The other day, the Master was talking to me about teams. He gave me a guild registry and the list of magics everyone had. I saw yours and Lucky's and thought it made a good fit with mine." She nodded knowing where this was going. Cana would have accepted...but she had something else in mind.

"Sure but on one condition." He looked at her smile a devious smile. He shuddered mentally.

"You have to out drink me." Naruto didn't know whether to roll his eyes or laugh at the request. It was sadly predictable due to her drinking habits. Not once has he seen her without a mug in her hands.

"I'll warn ya, I never get drunk." Cana smirked at his reply.

"Neither do I." Returning her smirk, he accepted her challenge with glee.

"Tomorrow?" She nodded.

"Tomorrow." Leaving, she missed the ear splitting grin he sported on his face. He didn't bluff when he proclaimed that he never got drunk. Naruto, himself was a heavier drinker that Tsunade and Jiraiya combined due to the stress of rebuilding his home. The blonde knew better than to underestimate someone but this time, he couldn't help it at all. This was also a chance to give everyone a hint of his powers, he thought to himself.

* * *

_Next day_

Everyone was gathered in the lobby to see the two challengers face off. They sat at a rectangular, wooden table staring down each other while waiting for the barrels of beer to get ready. Everyone was anxious to see if the new guy had the guts to beat their best and heaviest drinker down once and for all. Bets were being thrown around and though everyone heavily sided with Cana, there were a few gamblers out there willing to bet on Naruto.

"What's going on?" A red headed teen spoke aloud. She had just returned from her mission to see everyone in the building gathered around a table and placing bets all of a sudden.

She was given an answer when a voice spoke from the side of her. Mirajane, her rival. "Cana and the new guy are having a face off. If Naruto wins, then Cana has to form a team with him and Lucky." Erza nodded and couldn't help but feel the urge to bet on Cana. She relented of course, not wanting to encourage other people to do so.

"Who d'ya thinks gonna win?" Erza heard a voice from behind her. Tilting her head, she saw another teen with rosy hair standing next to Mira's sister.

"Cana of course. Who can out drink the queen of alcohol?" Lisanna answered for her. Erza nodded in agreement as it was Cana's unofficial nickname.

"Well let's just see." Erza replied, she looked up and was surprised to see Mistgun attending. She didn't want to scare him away by telling everyone else so she kept quiet about his presence. Looking around the room, she also saw Gildartz half asleep and drinking on the second floor. Luxus was closing his eyes and resting on the second floor as well. Erza smiled, it seemed just for this one day, everyone one at Fairy Tail was enjoying themselves for a change.

On the second floor, the mystery known as Mistgun ignored the split second glance Erza gave him, not wanting to quirk her interest any further. He eyed the blonde sitting at the table and was curious to his identity.

_"I have never seen that man before...Here or there... Who is he?"_

Shaking his head and dismissing the issue, he just decided to watch the match. Intent on relaxing today.

"Looks like it's all here..." Cana said to herself, casting the blonde a glance and saw his smug grin.

_"He must be confident. Maybe he doesn't know my reputation..."_ She smirked at him.

On the other side, Naruto was having different thoughts.

_"Kyuubi, stay out of this. I'll beat her fair and square." _The demon snorted and just waved him off, not caring.

_**"Don't come crying to me when she just happens to be better than you expected."**_ Naruto sighed inwardly. Maybe he was right but he really did want to play fair though. Having the Kyuubi make him immune to the effects of alcohol were unfair to Cana's ability to drink after all.

"Alright! Competitors! Are we ready?" Naruto sweatdropped, did they really need a microphone and big screen T.V. recording them for this? This world sure had a flair for theatrics, he thought amused.

"Hell yeah!" Cana roared, eliciting a loud cheer from the crowd.

"Damn right!" Naruto answered with enthusiasm. Once the cheering died down, Naruto took a deep breath and mentally readied himself. Cana did the same on the other side.

"Awesome! Now ladies and gentleman of Fairy Tail! I present you to the challenger! He hails from the western shores and has traveled all the way here! The newest member of Fairy Tail and the _self proclaimed __**Dragon of the West**_! UZUMAKI NARUTO!." Everyone cheered for him except a few of those who were betting on Cana whom booed comically. Naruto rose his hands and taunted them with a challenge gesture which the majority laughed at. The S-classed members raise their eyebrows at his "title", not understanding the reasoning.

"Nani? He doesn't look like a dragon!" Natsu yelled with his eyes bugging out.

"Aye." Happy added innocently. Sighing, Mirajane bopped both of them in the head and told them to shut up.

"On this side, we have the champion! The mighty Queen of alcohol herself! The goddess of wine and mistress of beer! A Fairy Tail veteran! CANA ALBERRRRRRRONA!" Everyone cheered at that and there were even some people bowing down to her in a servant like gesture. All in all, it was quite an amusing event for everyone.

"You ready new guy?" She said while getting a handle on the barrel. Everyone was in awe at her bold move to go straight for the big guns. They looked at Naruto to see if he was gonna answer and was excited to see him doing the same.

"I'll drink ya under the table." He replied with a cheeky grin. Gasps arose from the crowd as they looked at the irate face of Cana whom sported a playful scowl. Makarov jumped on the table with his hands up in the air as if he were judging a race.

"Ready?" They both nodded.

"GO!" Signaling the start, Naruto and Cana started to jug down their barrels with frightening speed.

* * *

_3 hours later_

"Are they still at it?" Erza had left 1 hour into the match. Both of the competitors were showing no signs of stopping at the time so she took the time to go shopping for new armor and cloths.

"Yup, you'll never guess who's winning though..." Erza looked at the table and was surprised to see Cana faltering instead of Naruto. She looked at the blonde challenger and saw that he wasn't too much better, his eyes half lidded and drowsy. Other than that, he sat straight and looked at Cana with determination in his eyes.

"It's gonna end anytime now..." Nodding in agreement, she sat at her table and ordered something to eat.

* * *

_1 hour later_

Naruto couldn't believe he was still conscious after his last shot. They had finished drinking barrels half an hour ago to slow down the pace of the game. He looked in front of him and saw Cana whom looked half asleep.

"Ready to give?" She spoke with a burp, eliciting some worried gasps from the crowd. Not a surprise when the majority of them bet on her after all.

"Nah, I'm good. Besides...it's your turn again." Cana sighed in dismay. She looked at the shot of Tequila in front of her and could have sworn there were five of them. They had finished the vodka, rum and whiskey long ago and this was all they had left. Her urge to collapse on the table and sleep was stronger than ever. Not in her life did she think anyone man could out drink her, not with her special condition. Cana's magic gave her an enhanced ability to be slightly immune to the effects of alcohol. That was why she was aloud to drink as much as she did.

_"Does he have that ability?" _Shaking her head, she tried to move her hand and pick up the shot. Of course it took a minute because she was seeing in quads. She lifted her drink only for it to slip out of her grasps. Everyone gasped at the sight. Cana on the other hand gave them a resigned smile.

"Looks like we're a team..." Falling over, she closed her eyes in a bliss. The brunette was asleep before she hit the ground.

"Maah...I don't know if I won or not. Now to tell Luck-..." He was unable to finish the sentence as he like Cana fell on his back and was out like a light. Makarov went to see if they were alright, sighing in relief as he did so. He knew of Cana's magical condition but he had no idea of Naruto's.

"Oi, bring in the medics."

"Wait who won?" He sighed and looked at the crowd.

"Technically, your supposed to drink one more shot than the other so...it's a draw." Ignoring the "awws" he got from the crowd, especially those who betted on the blonde's victory, he dragged both of them to the doctors office to be checked on.

"You two are very heavy drinkers, I'd say..." He almost cried at the sheer amount of money they'd spent buying all the drinks for the competition.

* * *

_Next Morning_

The disagreeable physical aftereffects of drunkenness, such as a headache or stomach disorder, usually felt several hours after cessation of drinking. That is the official definition of a hangover and it was exactly what Naruto was feeling right now. The brain cells in his head felt like they'd just been burned and restored then burned once more. It had been a while since he'd drunk so much at one time. The other time he did so was the day after he became Hokage and took upon it's responsibilities, never in his life had he seen so much paper. He felt the terrible headache enter him even before he bothered opening his eyes. The blonde tried to sit up, groaning as he did so and took a look around the room.

"Ow..." He grabbed his head in an attempt to soothe the pain but was in vain. The Kyuubi's laughter didn't help either so he just tried to relax.

"You alright?" He heard a feminine voice say beside him. Looking to his right he saw Cana sleeping in the bed next to his own.

"You too?" She nodded and chuckled.

"Yeah, it was a draw according to the master." She pulled out her deck of cards and activated it's glow. Like before, it reminded him.

"This should help, need it?" He nodded and let her run her magic. When she finished, a sigh of relief escaped him. He smiled at the usefulness of her healing magic.

"Thanks, this feels so much nicer..."

"Doesn't it?" She chuckled and told him of her magical advantage. Naruto shook his head, what his surrogate grandmother would do for her ability.

"So what's the name?" A confused expression crossed him before it slowly turned to realization.

"I dunno, never was good at naming teams." He replied.

"How about team 7?" A voice said from the door, turning his head slightly, he saw violet hair from the corner from his eyes.

"Team 7?" Cana said, not really liking the simplicity of the name. Naruto shook his head as well, that number was forever **_cursed_** in his eyes and he would not bring it into this world as well.

"Something more intimidating..." Cana suggested, Naruto snapped his fingers and grinned.

"How about team _**Otherworld?" **_Cana nodded her head at that suggestion. Lucky though confused, also liked the name.

"Why Otherworld? What does it mean?" She didn't understand the name and the symbolism.

Naruto smiled. "It means we have otherworldly powers." Thinking about it, she suddenly nodded her head furiously. It made her feel excited and it could without a doubt, intimidate enemies from afar. That was the purpose of team names after all.

"So when's our first mission, Team Otherworld?" Cana and Naruto looked at one another and laughed out right. Both answering at the same time.

"When this hangover's gone."

They shared their first laugh as a team.

* * *

End.

I had a hard time with this chapter because I needed to find a way to bring them together. I had no intention on dragging the subject so I put it all in one chapter.

I used the word "Otherworld" because of many reasons. Look underneath the underneath I say.

Now I'm gonna put the current teams (and future teams) of Fairy Tail below here. Just for reference.

_**Team Otherworld **_

_**Members: Cana Alberona, Lucky Ollietta, Uzumaki Naruto**_

_**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**_

_**Team Shadow Gear**_

_**Members: Levi McGarden, Jet, Droy**_

_**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**_

_**Team Raijinshuu**_

_**Members: Evergreen, Bixlow, Fried Justine**_

_**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**_

_**The "Strongest" Team (Future Team)**_

_**Members: Dragneel Natsu, Gray Fullbuster, Erza Scarlet, Lucy Heartfilia**_

_**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**_

And there you are. Thank you for reading.

P.S- If you're confused about the attacks he uses, just pm me and I'll give an explanation next chapter.

~Sniper Artist.


	4. The Little Songstress

_**The Dragon of the West**_

_A Fanfiction by: Sniper Artist_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Fairy Tail. I am only using their respective characters for a fanfiction._

_Summary: Upon his tearful death, Naruto meets a dragon. Given a second chance to live, he is sent to Fiore or more specifically Magnolia. Pre-canon Fairy Tail. Naruto X Fairy tail_

* * *

_Fairy Tail's Lobby_

_Few weeks later..._

Troublesome was the only thing Naruto could describe this situation.

_"How in the 9 tails of the Kyuubi did I get myself into this situation!" _Our blonde hero mentally yelled at himself. He looked at all the charges that were placed against him and his team and resisted the urge to go destroy the Council of mages with a rain of Rasenshurikens. Of course he didn't have the chakra capacity to do that so he crossed that idea out.

It all started when they took an A-ranked mission to sniff out an underground mafia corps near a town to the North. It was their first A-ranked quest and Naruto had been adamant about not screwing up. Too bad that they did though. The mission was such a haze that he didn't even want to think about it.

"Naruto...you do know what this means right?" Makarov sighed. Of course, he was suspecting it to happen atleast once in his lifetime but never did he think it would be this soon. They had only been together for a few weeks! Team Otherworld had been sued by multiple, _multiple _companies due to their..."Ecstatic" behavior beyond others during their mission. Holding up the papers, he did what he did to everyone who got charges. He read them outloud for everyone to hear. Cana and Lucky really found the floor designs interesting at the moment.

_"Keep calm...keep calm... It'll be over in no time..." _Of course the chuckles he heard from upstairs didn't help his situation at all. Looking up, he gritted his teeth when he noticed Luxus doing his absolute best to not break down laughing. Naruto did not find this amusing at all. Not one bit.

"Where do I start..." He looked at violet haired girl and decided to end her misery first. She, after all, had the least penalties of the 3.

"Lucky." Her head snapped forward, looking at him with comedic tears in her eyes.

"You're being accused of destroying the forest path, effectively making the merchants delay their trading indefinitely. The merchant guilds are furious at us for this..." She cried to herself, knowing that she'd just made a huge fool of herself in front of her new teammates. They were still having some trouble working together but there had been progress. Some progress...little progress.

"Cana, you have been charged of stealing numerous amounts of alcohol from the merchants while they were away and assaulted the client's daughter! Why?" Cana's eyes showed fury at the accusation.

"I was framed! Framed I tell you, besides she had it coming to her!" She yelled out angrily while pointing at him, the woman insulted not only her looks but her pride as a mage. Remembering their first meeting, Cana had heard the spoiled woman say things like "How unwomanly..." and "She'll never find a husband..". In short, Cana beat the snot out of her when she crossed the like about her "Unwoman-like drinking habits".

"And Naruto..." The master shook his head, the list filled nearly the entire page.

"I guess I'll start with the good parts... You did accomplish the mission of course. The underground world of criminals (_**UWC)**_ have begun to fear your name. The Dragon of the West's legend is starting to spread nicely." Naruto had the nerve to smirk at that. "But..." Here it comes, The blonde thought sadly to himself.

"The battle nearly destroyed the entire townsquare. The merchants were furious when you shredded their land to pieces, look at their houses! It looks more like a wooden igloo-ish triangle much less a real building. How in the world did you do this kind of damage!" He yelled with an angry face, Naruto tried not to flinch. Makarov sighed and looked at the picture of the damage and narrowed his eyes. "It's soooo artistic! Look at this new house, it looks like how the old civilizations used to make them. Amazing! This one looks like a Panda, hey Gildartz take a look at this thing." Everyone in the building sweatdropped at the complete 180 their master made half way through the lecture. One second it was anger and the next it was praise, Team Otherworld looked flabbergasted as a whole. Luxus finally cracked and started rolling on the floor while everyone else in the guild followed. Naruto's face turned into immediate anger.

"What the hell is so funny?" They all looked at him and shouted together.

"YOUR TAKING THIS TOO SERIOUSLY!" Natsu was the loudest of the group that yelled, the boy himself had often gotten into alot of trouble with the council. Gray was still laughing at the seriousness of Naruto.

The blonde was confused to their reaction. He, along with his team, were expecting a full time punishment at their actions. Had they not destroyed half the town? Had they not assault the daughter of the client? Had they not interrupt the flow of trade along the very regions? The team looked at the laughing face of Gildartz and was confused to the laid back response they had gotten.

"Maah, c'mon Naruto, everyone makes mistakes on their first A-ranked mission. Even me, I did everything you three did but in less time." He chuckled at the memory of himself smashing through every building in sight. He was too lazy to go on the road anyways.

The team sighed in relief. It had been their first time doing such damage on a mission and they were afraid of punishment.

"I'll talk to the council tomorrow, don't worry too much." The master said.

"Thank you, Master." Makarov waved it off, saying that it wasn't a big deal.

"As long as you know you did the right thing, there will be no punishment. That's Fairy Tail's true motto! Ain't that right?" Everyone shouted in agreement. Naruto smiled and nodded, happy that his guild was so brilliantly laid back like they are. Turning his back he started to walk away and look for a place to sit.

"Well that was a pleasant surprise..."

A sigh of relief was heard from them, except Cana. "Nah, I already half suspected it." She smiled which only made Naruto shake his head and grin.

_"This guild is something else alright..."_ He thought to himself while looking for a place to sit, content with relaxing for the rest of the day.

* * *

_In the back_

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Makarov said, Gildartz had invited him to the back to speak about something. His face had been completely serious and that was a bit surprising for a laid back person like him so he assumed it would be about work or something like that.

"Master...I want to apply for the 100 year mission..." He paled at the request. Now that was the last thing he suspected from the man next to him. But now looking back, he shouldn't have been surprised since he's seen the subtle hinting the man had been giving him for a while now...well maybe not so subtle seeing as he did _clean out _nearly three quarters of the S-class missions they had on the upper level of the building. Sighing, he looked at his long time friend and best mage and argued mentally until he came to suitable a solution.

"...I don't know. It's tough and you know what happened to the last group who went on the 100 year quest..." Gildartz nodded sadly, never had he seen an elite squadron of mages ripped apart so easily. The mission had been to ultimately defeat and destroy Deliora, the devil misfortune and disaster. 8 years ago, the guild called Lamia Scale had sent out a whole battalion of mages to take out the powerful demon. The group had consisted of 3 S-class mages and 5 regulars under each of them, all very powerful in their own right. As soon as the battle began...they were ripped apart piece by bitter piece. To this day, Lamia Scale has never recovered from the losses.

"And everyday, I thank Ur for defeating him." Makarov nodded at that, as he did the same. Ur, the ice alchemist that defeated and sealed Deliora in ice for eternity. The old man had respected the woman even before her battle against the demon but after her tragic sacrifice, he demanded that she be eternally granted the title as one of the 10 wizard saints. Naturally no one had an objection to that so it had been made so.

"Gray had a great master." They lowered their heads in her memory. What can they say? She was something people could strive for. Ur was the best ice alchemist mage the world had seen in a hundred years.

"Nonetheless, I still can't believe that you want to take up this one." Gildartz sighed and nodded his head.

"I want to do this no matter what you say Master."

Makarov looked at the mission poster and shivered. The mission was complicated and very, very difficult to accomplish.

"Fine but on one condition..." Gildartz eyebrows's perked, interested in what the master had to say.

"You have to participate in this year's Mage tournament." The taller man had declined every invitation to join the games, always saying that he was too lazy.

"W-why?" The condition threw him for a loop, the master was never one to show off power when he wanted to.

"Just for the sake of competing. Everyone has wanted you to join in the contest for a while now. The winners are usually Luxus or Erza and sometimes Mira or Fried depending on who participates. But if you join, then everyone will. Not to mention that it'll be a fun." He smiled, he also wanted this for a different reason but he was leaving the taller man to figure that out.

"I-I see. Alright, I'll do it." He gave a resigned sigh, not really getting why he wanted to do it.

"Good, then I'll sign ya up. C'mon, don't give me that face, it'll be fun!" He smiled at his friend. Gildartz shook his head, having fun wasn't the problem. In fact, he liked the idea.

The problem was, how was he gonna soundly crush everyone without hurting their feelings? It was troublesome.

* * *

_Streets of Magnolia_

Fast and heavy steps could be heard if one were to be near the apartment complex in Magnolia, indicating the frustration of one Uzumaki Naruto. After leaving the guild for the day, he went on a search for a suitable apartment to stay in for the time being as he'd been having trouble finding one. The blonde had checked out all the "available" places and found out that they just happened to have already been "taken" the morning before he came. It angered him to a great extent, believing that he was a victim of housing discrimination because they denied him.

The truth was, the first three places he went to were completely genuine about there conditions and he had infact been there too late. But he didn't know that so by the time he left the third spot, a powerful killer intent began to radiate around him and it scared the bijezus out of everyone who came in contact with him. That was the reason no one else had offered him a place, fear. It was the ironic, yet comedic truth.

_"Dammit... It's no good!" _Anime tears started to fall out as he sat on a bench in the park which was fortunately empty. He could hear the cruel laughing of the Nine Tailed fox from within him and gave it a mental slap, though it didn't actually do anything the fox was still angered at the gesture. While he was messing with his tenant, he completely forgot to be aware of his surroundings.

"Oi, You alright?" Quickly letting go of his muse, the blonde looked up to see a short middle aged man looking at him with curious eyes.

"Yeah, just having a hard time finding a house..." The other man nodded his head in understanding. Magnolia ha always been a crowded place so finding a home would be quite difficult for a young person like him. But the blonde was fortunate today, though he didn't know it.

"I know how you feel." The man looked at his clothing and blinked for a second. He then smirked.

"Those clothes...Are you a mage?" The blonde nodded and sighed depressingly. The shorter man smiled deviously.

"Y'know, theres this rumor of a haunted apartment room two blocks from here. In fact, I own the building. My business has been going haywire and I need help. If you can solve this problem, I'll give you the room. Heck, I'll even give you the first 6 months free." The blondes head snapped up so fast, he could've sword it was about to fly off the next second. Naruto looked at him with wide eyes and grinned gratefully at the shorter man.

"Really?" He nodded and grinned. Naruto shot up and pumped his fist into the air.

"YOSH! So what do I have to do?" He asked, looking down at the man.

"Great, the name's Yoh kid. All I want you to do is check out the room and see if it's really haunted. No one has been able to figure out why but once someone goes in they immediately appear outside the building walls." Naruto nodded, thinking it was somewhat akin to genjutsu or illusionary tactics back home. Luckily for him, ever since he mastered the sage arts, such a thing was futile against him.

"Alright! I'll see what I can do." The man asked Naruto to follow him to the apartment room. When he saw the place, his jaws dropped to the floor. The lawn was beautifully cut, the architecture of the building was set so it would last as well. There was a Cherry blossom tree on the roof of the building, he wondered how in the world it got up there. The name of the hotel was "Fubari Onsen". Naruto grinned, an onsen? Sweet.

"How'd you get the tree up there?" The man smiled.

"You don't know? You must be new around here then. We're famous for our Sakura trees." Naruto smiled at that. The scenary was one of incredible peace, it was definitely his type of pad.

"Alright follow me." He started climbing the stairs. He stopped at the top floor and looked at the only room in the vicinity. The door was carved cleanly with a flower design, the door was about the height of his former master, Jiraiya, meaning it was very big. The doornob was pure white and round, making for an easy grip.

"Nice place, this it?" The shorter man nodded.

"It's my best room. The incidents started a while ago. I've been trying to get mages to help but they've been really busy lately..." Naruto nodded, understanding his blight. Guilds take many jobs but the chances of picking this specific job was low.

Naruto hesitantly approached the door but stopped when he felt the wave of powerful aura coming from the knob. His eyes widened by a fraction, it was a clever technique.

_"The trigger for the illusion is the door handle. No civilian or average mage should be able to sense this easily. As soon as someone touches the knob, a powerful illusion is casted in a large margin, confusing everyone." _He grabbed the handle and confirmed that it was indeed true. He felt the natural energy flare, indicating him of the illusion. Naruto closed his eyes, gathering enough natural chakra and flared the illusion away. The result was the surrounding air crumbling into pieces, confusing the shorter man.

"What happened?" He asked. Naruto explained to him the mechanics of illusions, only to confuse him even further. He relented and nodded, willing to let the teen continue his work.

"Alright, I'm going in." He opened the door and was awestruck by the room. It was clean, big, and it had a view of the entire town! Naruto smiled, he hit the jackpot today. While he was busy looking out into the city, he didn't sense the whack on the head he was suddenly given. Jumping to the other side of the room while holding his head in pain, he looked around for the culprit to give him a thorough beat down.

Only to see no one around.

"The hell?" Confused, he turned his head around and started to look again. The familiar feeling of getting hit over the head came back again. He jumped again and rubbed his head in seering pain.

"Owww..." he groaned painfully.

"What are you doing in my pad?" He heard a voice speak. It was surprisingly soft and feminine, yet aggressive. Looking around the room, he grew more confused when he didn't see anybody in the vicinity. His eyes widened hysterically, thinking that this room had a real ghost, he didn't believe it at first. The blonde was absolutely frightened by the possibility of fighting a ghost. Sakura told him many stories of how strong ghosts were compared to humans.

Little did he know, she was just trying to freak him out. Ino had dared her to do so, but Naruto didn't know that.

Looking around again, he heard a sigh of distress come out from the unseen culprit.

"Oi, down here..." Naruto looked down, immediately forgetting his ghost theory and saw something he had never expected.

A cat...

A blue, talking cat...

"Happy?" The cat shook her head.

"What the hell are you talking about?" It's voice was feminine so he assumed that it was a she. The cat wore a green gastby hat and a green blouse like dress with what it looked like jeans underneath. She wore small little cowboy boots that he guessed was from a dress up toy bought for five year olds. Her eyes had a pinkish/purple shadow around them and what looked like a sword shaped earing on her right ear.

"Err...sorry, I didn't know Happy had any relatives..." She looked at him again.

"Who's this "Happy" you speak of? AND WHY THE HELL ARE YOU IN MY PAD HUMAN?" She rose to smack him in the face with what looked like a... guitar?

He yelped in pain and stepped back again.

"Now answer my question or face my wrath you pest!" She threatened. Naruto finally came out of the shock he was in and cleared his mind.

"I'm sorry but there has been rumors of this room being "haunted". I was offered this room to complete this job. Never did I imagine another cat to be here." The exceed rose her brows.

"You've seen another of my kind?" Naruto nodded. Happy, Natsu's partner and...technically the son of Natsu and Lisanna. They had hatched him years before Naruto came to Fairy Tail.

"Nonetheless, I will not be giving up my only home!" The blonde looked at her with a confused expression.

"You don't have another home?" She shook her head.

"No! Now get out you pesky human monkey!" Naruto wasn't surprised at her hostility. He did enter her home after all. But there was a problem, if he didn't do this now, another mage would capture her and take her in. He didn't think this would happen at all, he also didn't want to strip someone of their home.

"I see... I guess I could relate. I also have no other home and I don't have one now. Why don't we share this place?" She looked at him as if her were crazy.

"Why in the hell would I let you do that?" She yelled, growing more and more annoyed, if her scowl indicated anything.

"Because if I left, then another mage will come down here and surely kick you out. Now, I don't want that to happen so how about we share?" She looked at him with an exasperated expression. Though she didn't want to admit it, he was right. Her illusions, though strong and witty were clearly inadequate if someone broke in so easily.

"I-I, damn you human, how did you even get in here! My magic is no joke." Naruto smiled at her.

"Indeed, it was a powerful illusion. Any mage below B-class level would have surely been fooled. I, on the otherhand, am far ahead of that level, being a Sage." She took another look at him, trying to gauge his magical level. The exceed was surprised when she felt the potency of his power and the amount was quite astounding.

"Sage?" She asked, not knowing the term. The blonde's eyes widened at the slip up and tried to play it cool.

"It's a term from my village for those who's attained a certain level of mastery of their magic." Nodding her head in understanding, she went to couch and sat down.

"Whatever... Now, I guess I have no choice huh? Fine we'll share but you had better not rat me out!" Naruto rose his hands in a defending gesture and grinned.

"Maah, I'm not like that. Besides I can cook..." She narrowed her eyes in disbelief.

"I don't believe you." Naruto grinned.

"I can make something if you'd like..."

"Fried shrimp, cooked fish and white rice will do. And don't forget to warm up the sake, human..." Naruto was surprised at the sudden request. It was less surprising when he heard her stomach growl very loudly. He found it quite cute when her face flushed and turned from him.

"Naruto." She shook her head.

"I don't have any fish paste." Naruto suddenly released a burst of killer intent. His eyes flashed red momentarily but changed back to blue.

"IT MEANS MAELSTROM DAMMIT! Why does everyone keep, keep... saying... never mind..." He started crying anime tears and mumbled about how the world was unfair towards him. She was shocked at the outburst and waited for him to finish grumbling for an answer.

"Naruto is my name..." The exceed blinked. Once, then twice, then dropped to the floor and laughed, HARD. Her resounding laughter only made his irritation grow, it was so embarrassing and frustrating to have a name with two meanings. After a few minutes of laughing, she stopped but the chuckles were still there.

"Humans name their children so stupidly..." He shook his head, he'd give anything to find out how his parents named him. Though he suspected it had to do something with Jiraiya's first book, The legend of the Gutsy ninja.

"What's your name? We will be sharing this place after all..." She at least had the decency to blush at her rudeness.

"Name's Tayuya. Now make me that food." Naruto sighed but grinned. He made three clones, one to alert the completion of the mission to Yoh, the landlord, and the other two to make the food.

Half an hour later, they were sitting at the dinner table to chow down. Naruto didn't know why she liked fish so much but suspected it had to do something with their kind. He often saw Happy around with a fish in his hands.

"This isn't bad...for a human..." She added. Naruto shook his head.

"Naruto."

"Whatever." Sighing, he didn't want to pry but it was an unavoidable problem at the moment.

"Have something against humans?" She stopped eating suddenly and looked at him with ghostly eyes.

"You wouldn't understand." He shook his head.

"Try me." She sighed and put down the shrimp that she was planning on devouring.

"I just hate humans because they tend to be foolish. Once they attain power, they misuse them. They look down on others and cast them aside like trash." Naruto nodded, knowing how she felt. His childhood was after all, that of a Jinchuuriki. Not that he'd ever tell her that.

_**"She's right brat. You're kind tends to do such foolishness often. This feline is also hiding something from us." **_Naruto mentally nodded.

_"I won't pry. Everyone deserves their privacy...and what do you mean by "us"? You haven't helped me at all since I got here." _The fox snorted and went back to sleep into his cage. The blonde sighed mentally, he tried to be nice to the fox but to no avail. The bijuu was still quite bitter at his defeat to him all those years ago.

"I understand. I am no fool to the dark side of human nature." She looked into his eyes and saw the hollow look that she once sported on the day she left. The day she cut her ties to her foolish home. Tayuya nodded, acknowledging his words. She didn't bother to ask him what he meant because she had no interest in it at all. Humans were capable of many sins and whatever he would say would only add to her bitterness.

Naruto saw the mood shift into a gloomy atmosphere and decided to change the subject. "So what's with the guitar?" She looked at the instrument and smiled softly.

"It's my passion." Naruto smiled at her changing tone. It was softer and without the cold after effect.

"Can you play a song?" She looked at him as if he were stupid...again.

"Of course I can! Why else would would I keep a guitar?"

"That's not what I meant! I was asking if you could play one right now." Forgetting the previous conversation, her eyes softened.

"No." His eyebrows perked.

"Why not?"

"Cuz I don't want to."

"Awww pleaseeee or are you shy? I can understand if you're bad and hesitant to show me you terrible skills." Her face grew red with fury at his tease. Lifting her instrument, she porceeded to slam it against his head for the third time.

"Fine!" She tuned her guitar and started playing in a soft melody. Her voice, which was singing beautifully sounded so different from her usual tone. Naruto felt his memories flickering from his necklace and entered his mind. Shikamaru, one his best friend of the 8 other collegues of his. The lazy man had been on several missions and supported the blonde when he was down. He also saw Sakura and how they spent their time together. Though she often punched him, they had alot of fun and laughs together. Those were the good days after he became the Hokage.

The soft melody suddenly turned into one of deep sorrow. He saw Sasuke fighting him with all his might. Chidori clashing into his Rasengan, Rasenshuriken clashing into his Susan'o and ultimately his hands piercing his stomach. The memory of both of them layed on the dirt all bloodied and tired after their fight.

The song ended with a sorrowful tune. Naruto felt his memories fade back into Tsunade's necklace and sighed. It was truly his greatest weakness. The memories hidden in his necklace that is. He'd have to make sure that the information never got into the wrong hands or he'll be paying the price.

"How's that?" Naruto nodded at her. She was definitely skilled with the instrument, her fingers...or paws flowed over the frets as if it were second natured to her.

"What's the name?" She went into a thinking posture.

"Past Story." _**(1)**_

Naruto chuckled at the irony.

"Indeed." She nodded, having the same reaction as him when she first heard the song. It was indeed sorrowful and incredibly emotional.

"I first heard it from a Stellar spirit, then I learned it the day after.." Naruto nodded, knowing of what she spoke of. Stellar spirits, like summons lived in another dimension and only those with "keys" could summon them. Though they needed a contract, it was still very useful.

"Hey..."

"What?" She asked him.

"Join my guild." Her eyes widened.

"Why?"

"You are very skilled Tayuya. Besides, you don't want to be stuck here all day do you?" She nodded her head, she had been here for the first three weeks and lived off the food in the fridge.

"I guess..." Naruto chuckled.

"Great, you can be on my team. Who knows? you might even make friends." She shook her head.

"I have no interest in that. But...it's better than being here all day, like you said." He sighed at her unwillingness to open up. Well...he's dealt with far worse.

"Alright! so that's a yes?" She nodded apathetically. He suddenly ran up to her and locked her into a bone crushing hug.

"YEAAAH!" Annoyed by his sudden outburst, she lifted her guitar single handedly and smashed it against his skull...again.

"Owww!"

"NO HUGGING!" He pouted.

"AWW BUT YOU'RE SOOO CUTEEEE." He tried to hug her again but it only resulted with a guitar to the skull. It didn't stop him however when he closed the distance instantly and hugged her but this time he made sure the guitar was far away.

_"Stupid humans!" _She yelled mentally to herself while being unable to move her arms. Tayuya cursed in her mind, the guitar was out of her reach.

And that was how Uzumaki Naruto, The Dragonslayer of the Night, meet his exceed partner, Tayuya. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

* * *

End.

Yup, that's his cat partner. Didn't want to leave him out after all.

An Exceed is what Happy's species is called.

I made **fanart **for this fic so feel free to check it out on my profile. I replaced the old Naruto drawing if you just happened to see it before this post. Tayuya is also up there.

I know it was a bit poorly written at the end but I didn't want to drag this subject either. It would only turn readers away if I used two chapters to get him his partner.

Another issue is that I know everyone is getting unequal screen time. I promise that you'll get to see Natsu and Gray more often later. I'm still in the beginning stages so I could have all the pieces on the table. The tournament for example will be bringing nearly everyone together.

_**(1) **_Past story is the song that Lyra sang during the Deliora arc. You should listen to it, the song was beautiful. It's played with a harp but I had Tayuya use a guitar.

Alright here's an update of the team(s).

_**Team Otherworld **_

_**Members: Cana Alberona, Lucky Ollietta, Uzumaki Naruto, Tayuya**_

_**Leader: Naruto**_

_**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**_

_**Team Shadow Gear**_

_**Members: Levi McGarden, Jet, Droy**_

_**Leader: Levi**_

_**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**_

_**Team Raijinshuu**_

_**Members: Evergreen, Bixlow, Fried Justine**_

_**Leader: Fried (Luxus as well when he desires their assistance)**_

_**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**_

_**The "Strongest" Team/ Team Natsu/ Team Property Damage (seriously)**_

_**Members: Dragneel Natsu, Gray Fullbuster, Erza Scarlet, Lucy Heartfilia, Happy**_

_**Leader: No leader. Erza if there was one.**_

_**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**_

Thank you for reading.

Oh before I sign, if the language in the story gets a bit "M" please notify me. Seriously, cause I usually write subconciously. Thanks again.

_~Sniper Artist_


	5. Caring

_**The Dragon of the West**_

_A Fanfiction by: Sniper Artist_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Fairy Tail. I am only using their respective characters for a fanfiction._

_Summary: Upon his tearful death, Naruto meets a dragon. Given a second chance to live, he is sent to Fiore or more specifically Magnolia. Pre-canon Fairy Tail. Naruto X Fairy tail_

* * *

_Magnolia, Business District. _

_Following Day_

"No." Naruto's voice was stern and unwearable. But it was in vain as the glare he received from his exceed partner nearly made him shiver. Her calculating pink eyes glazed him with absolutely fury from his answer.

"And why the hell not?" The anger was clear in her voice. Naruto tried his best not to flinch at her gaze. Frankly, he was terrified of her gaze. It reminded him of Hinata when some idiot insulted her sister, Hanabi. Never in his life, did he ever think the cute, shy Hinata could absolutely break another person. Literally. Forgetting the past, he brought his attention back to the cat in front of him and argued the best he could.

"It's too expensive!" He cried out. For the past hour and a half, she'd been bugging him to buy this old record from the store. Apparently it was impossible to find according to her knowledge. Naruto relented and insisted that the price was far too much, even for someone with his salary. The record was 500,000 jewels and there was no way in hell he'd buy something that was worth 2 average A-ranked quests. It was totally ridiculous in his opinion, seriously.

"This is as cheap as it could get you fool!" She slapped him in the face, eliciting a small gasp of pain from the blonde.

"Oi, that hurts ya damn cat. What's so special about this thing anyways?" Her mood made a complete 180 as her eyes looked at the record with nothing short of respect.

"This record is absolutely legendary and I will never let it fall into another's hand. I must have it!" She spoke with intense passion. In the few hours the blonde has known her, it was obvious that music was her ultimate love. Hell, if music was a person, the blonde was sure that she'd marry him.

_**"That was a terrible joke..."**_ He heard the fox inside him say. Naruto grew a mental tick and slapped the fox, not that it did anything.

_"Shut up! I'm a prankster, not a stand up comedian!" _He mentally yelled back, frustrated with this situation.

"What's in this anyways?" He held up the record curiously, only to have it snatched away from Tayuya in a flash.

"Don't touch it! You'll destroy it's value with your disgusting human hands!" Naruto grew more annoyed at her barb. That was a good thing because the people around him were watching them with mild interest and amusement.

"You see Naruto, once upon a time in this very land called Fiore, there was a stellar spirit that was rumored to be the most beautiful and the most talented singer in the lands. Her beauty and talent was so great, that many rich, disgusting humans tried to buy her key and have her all to themselves. One of those humans succeeded and made her fulfill all their selfish and perverse fantasies. As the days past, her sadness grew and grew exponentially as so did her abuse. Every time she cried, she wrote and recorded a song that contained every single last bit of her emotion such as anger, bitterness, sorrow, hopelessness, and so on. As the times passed, the greedy human died and she was set free! Free of the terror that is the darkness of humanity! The stellar spirit left her record in this land, hoping that it would change the ways of humanity and their pitiful greed with it's beautiful melody. The great stellar spirit was never to be seen again..." Half way through the story, she had already drawn quite a big crowd. They listened to the utter passion in her voice and some couldn't help but shed tears when they heard of the tragedy.

Naruto, himself was quite amazed at her ability to tell a story. He even felt the Kyuubi's full attention on her, as if he wanted her to continue bashing humans as a whole. He, himself was quite drawn to the story like everyone else. He watched her raise the record with her paws delicately and looked at it with sadness in her eyes.

"This record contains some of the most beautiful songs in the world. That is why I will, at any cost, keep this out of the wrong hands! I will not let her abuse go to waste! I will not let her talents go to waste! I will not let this record be destroyed carelessly! I will learn from her pain and distribute it to the world myself!" And with that she had Naruto completely convinced on buying it. Tayuya smirked inwardly, the story was indeed true and with her natural ability to twist words, she made it sound like the most tragic thing in the world.

Naruto sighed, resigning from his argument and decided to buy the thing. Hopefully, he could convince the Master to grant him an S-classed mission.

"Alright..." She smiled in victory and licked his cheeks as a thank you like cats would often due. Weird because after all this time, the crowd didn't even think twice about her being a talking cat.

After the crowd dispersed much to the confusion of the Blonde, whom didn't even notice them there, they decided to finally head to the guild and introduce Tayuya to everyone.

"You're really good at telling stories, Tayuya." He spoke in a soft tone.

"It was a true story Naruto. One of the many reasons why I detest humans so much." The blond sighed, indeed it was a good reason to hate his kind.

"Not all humans are like that Tayuya...some are even so kind that they would willingly give their very lives to save people they don't even know. While this world is filled with selfish idiots, there are also those whom are still selfless and chivalrous." The exceed nodded and jumped from the ground to the top of his head with ease. Naruto took off his bandanna so she could get more comfy. Purring in delight, she was content with her new bed. Whether or not she noticed it, but within just a day she'd already grown attached to the blond. It was his greatest skill after all, making friends.

"I know but that doesn't change the despicable nature that all humans have in them. Good or bad, darkness lays within them. You understand this I believe?" The blond nodded, having indeed experienced the darker side of humanity first hand. Sensing that she didn't want to talk about it any longer, he dropped the subject. Naruto knew it would be hard to change her views on humans and sometimes he even felt that it was a hopeless endeavor. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to give up until she at least warmed up a bit. She was actually very pleasant company, that is unless you insult her passion.

"Wake me up when we get there." He nodded and allowed her to comfortably fall asleep on his hair hoping she didn't screw it up too bad. Not that he minded anyways.

* * *

_Fairy Tail_

"Oi, Natsu!" The rosy headed mage turned his head to look at whomever called his name. He saw his rival, Gray, a black haired teen whom had a bad habit of stripping off his clothes in public randomly.

"What?" He scowled, the two always picked a fight with one another ever since they've met. The scowl was returned at full force when Gray narrowed his eyes at him. Everyone in the vicinity sighed, it was sadly an often occurrence.

"You signin up for the tournament?" He asked in a crude voice, almost as if he wanted to pick a fight with him.

"Hell yeah! And I'm gonna win this time!" He boasted loudly to the guild. Everyone groaned at the declaration, ever since entering he'd never won once. The winners were usually one of the S-class mages whom were Luxus, Erza, Mirajane or Fried. Mistgun never participated but many suspected that he just didn't want to be seen. They also knew that their ace, Gildartz Crive, never participated.

"That's what you say every year idiot. Luxus usually crushes you before you get to the semi-finals." The dragon slayer's ego deflated at that mention. It was true that the older blonde had crushed him to bits everytime they fought and easily at that. He glared at his rival.

"What about you huh? Didn't you lose to him in the first round last year? How long did you last? I think it was for about...6 seconds." The raven haired boy instantly flushed in anger. He was beaten even before he could pull of his alchemy magic. Most embarassing day in his life.

"Well atleast I ain't a punk like you who rushes face first into the opponent. Luxus beat you without lifting a finger!" The two glared at each other and continued their daily insult contest.

"Oh Erza-chan, how's your day been?" They heard a voice say from somewhere. Gray and Natsu instantly crushed their desires of fighting and hung their arms around eachother's necks as if indicating that they were buddies.

"A-ahh we're best friends..." Natsu said nervously, looking around for the red headed maiden that often beat the crap outta them when they fought eachother.

"Y-eah, b-best friends..." Gray continued, ignoring the chuckles from the background. Pride be damned, Erza punched harder than most men in the guild, including Elfman, the resident whom always boasted about how to be a real man.

The two looked around and saw that said woman was no where in sight. Laughter was heard from the top floor, everyone lifted their heads to see Gildartz chuckling at their antics.

"Maah, I knew that would be funny. But I didn't expect it to be this funny.." They looked at him with wide eyes filled with shock, confusion and betrayal.

"YOU TRICKED US!" Natsu yelled. Happy flew up to his head and pointed at the man with an innocent expression.

"Aye."

"WHAT THE HELL MAN! DON'T SCARE US LIKE THAT!" Gray exclaimed exasperatedly, breathing heavily in an extremely exaggerated tone. Everyone laughed at their expense. It was a known fact that Erza would beat down the two rivals if she ever caught them fighting.

"Anyways, so I hear you two are in the Mage Mash again huh?" They nodded with fierce determination.

"Yeah! everyone better watch out!" Gildartz grinned at his determination, the boy had marvelous potential and this was a way for him to get more experience. That was all he really needed anyways.

"That's good, I'll be going in as well..." Everyone gasped when the words left his mouth. Even Luxus widened his eyes, his blood was boiling at the thought of fighting the guild's "Strongest" mage. Mirajane had a bloodthirsty smile on her face, like Luxus, she was also excited by the prospect of fighting Gildartz. She chuckled darkly, making her siblings Lisanna and Elfman back away from her with comedic fright.

"Sister is being scary again." She mumbled. Elfman nodded and sighed at Mira. Her "Takeover" magic influenced her greatly unlike these two whom were quite normal...well Lisanna was quite normal.

"This'll be fun..." Mira whispered to herself.

"Hmm...count me in as well." Everyone looked at the entrance and saw Erza standing with what looked like a whole years worth of luggage behind her. No one even bothered to question her "quirk", already being used to the craziness called Fairy Tail. Hell the only ones who were remotely normal are Lisanna and Levi.

"Erza-chan, back from your mission already I see?" Gildartz said.

"Hai, it was only a simple extermination..." She said without missing a beat. Her lingering words only made everyone pity her victims. Her magic was beautiful after all, bloody beautiful some might say.

"So what's this I hear about you joining the Mage Mash?" The elder man sighed.

"I asked a favor from the master. He said yes but with the condition of joining." Her eyebrows perked in curiosity.

"A favor?"

"Maah, you'll know after the tournament's done. You guys should train, it's in a week and I'm sure you all want to have the title of "Strongest" ne?" While Luxus, Natsu and Gray agreed with his statement, Erza shook her head in the negative.

"No. I just want to see you fight first hand. It should be interesting after all." No one has seen Gildartz fight in years and all of a sudden he's entering a tournament? She had to see this of course. What sane person didn't know of Gildartz's skill? The man declined a spot as one of the Ten Saints and that certainly speaks highly of his magic.

"Maah, I'm nothing special..." He grinned sheepishly, while ignoring the looks of exasperation from everyone. They started to chat more about the contest and everyone was adding their own two cents on who'd come out on top. Of course the obvious answer was Gildartz but some were more...optimistic then others. Natsu for example.

That was when Naruto entered the building.

"Hey Luxus are the Raijinshuu entering?" Natsu shouted. The older teen nodded his head. Fried, Evergreen and Bixlow were scheduled to come in tomorrow so they would probably enter, Luxus thought to himself.

"Sweet!" Naruto rose his eyebrows at his excitement. He decided to enter the conversation with the rest of the guild "Elites".

"Whats this about?" He asked outloud, Natsu turned his head and saw Naruto. Completely ignoring the cat on his head for a moment, he decided to explain.

"We're having he annual guild Mage Mash!"

"Mage Mash?" He asked confused, not know what they were talking about at all.

"It's a tournament. There's no prize or anything, you get bragging rights though." Gray answered for him. Naruto smiled.

"Cool, where do I sign up?" They pointed at the clipboard laying next to the master, whom was asleep sitting up. Naruto stifled a chuckle at the sight, his master was an incredibly carefree man compared to his former bosses. Walking up to him, he promptly signed his name on the paper. That was when Makarov woke up and took a good look at the top of his head. He blinked twice than his eyes widened.

"N-Naruto..." The blonde looked up and smiled at the elder man.

"What's that on your head?" Smiling even further turned towards everyone whom also looked at his head and woke up his new friend.

"Oi, Tayuya wake up ya cutie." They heard a groan from the top of his head and gasped when they saw another Happy.

Said cat had hearts in his eyes the moment he saw her.

"We're here already? I wanted more sleep..." Everyone's jaws dropped on the floor.

"What?" She asked when she saw everyone staring at her with awe. Tayuya shook her head.

_"Humans are weird..."_ That was especially true with the group around her. It's been nearly a full minute and they haven't said a word. The master was the first to speak.

"Where did you find her?" Naruto chuckled.

"Funny story actually. Hey, do you mind if she joins the guild? She has very strong magic..." He said, making the master grin in curiosity.

_'Trying to change the subject? I'll let it go for now but I wanna hear the story later.' _He thought to himself as he was eyeing the exceed. He sensed quite an amount of magical within her unlike Natsu's partner Happy. That meant that she was older and had experience using magic, he chuckled, the boy found a great partner.

"Sure, I don't see why not. She's more than welcome, ain't that right?" He asked the guild. Breaking out of their stupor, they all suddenly yelled in agreement.

"Oi, where did you find her?" Natsu asked.

"What's her name?"

"Where did she come from?"

"Do you want some fish?"

Naruto sweatdropped at all the questions, especially the last one since it came from the other resident cat. Maybe love at first sight really did exist, he smiled at the thought.

Tis a shame because the ideal was shot down as soon as he saw the rejection Tayuya gave him. She was gentle with it though and seemed to let him down lightly, Naruto smirked. She had experience with rejecting other males it seemed. He mentally filed the thought away for future teasing against his new friend. He knew she would beat him but it would eventually mean that they'll become better friends.

Naruto was indeed a masochist at times.

"Hey, has anyone seen my team?" He noticed that they were absent for the moment. It wasn't a surprise, they had recently come back from a long A-ranked mission. Apparently, it was a first for Cana and Lucky so he guessed that they would be resting at home to recuperate their magical and physical energy.

"Cana called in sick and Lucky's at home resting." Naruto nodded, mentally adding "visit Cana and Lucky" to his list of things to do for the day. Though only being with them for a short time, he felt very attached to his teammates. Cana was bright and fun to speak with while Lucky was always sweet and nice to him when they hung out.

He loved his team and his guild like family.

"I'll be sure to check up on them later." Makarov smiled and nodded.

"You do that. I see that you have signed up for the tournament Naruto. Piece of advice, you should train physically. While our friends here are mages, they are also very strong physically." Naruto chuckled, confusing the older man.

"Don't worry about me boss. If it's a contest of physical endurance, then there is nothing on this Earth that could out last me."

"I see. That is very good to hear, well good luck. It starts in a week." Naruto then lowered his tone so that no one but the elder could hear him. He didn't want anyone listening in on the short talk he was about to have.

"Master." His voice turned serious, the older man raised his eyebrows at the tone.

"If it's possible, I would like to speak with you about something. I will wait for the end of the tournaments to talk to you about it though." That drew his interest. The boy had been a mystery to him ever since his joining a month ago. He was loud often but at the same time subtle like a shinobi which made it near impossible to read him.

The man had no idea how close his guess was.

"Very well."

"Cool. So who's participating in the tournament?" He rose his voice back to normal and returned to the previous conversation.

"Hmm, the final list will be made tomorrow." Nodding and left after giving his thanks. Naruto made his way to a near by table so he could have a little chat with his new friend.

"Hmm, this place is very lively. A bit of music could do this place good." Naruto smiled and nodded, having always been a fan of music.

"The guild likes to do a lot of conventional activites. You should participate, it could help you make friends." Tayuya ignored the last part.

"Excellent. I will prepare a guitar arrangement for that then."

"Cool. So what do you want to order?" He gave her the menu to look at. The blonde already knew what he was gonna pick so there was never a need for it. Naruto called the waitress over and her his order.

"Beef ramen and a glass of water please." She nodded and looked at the cat that was looking at her expectantly.

"A dish of grilled anago **(1), **another of sashimi and white rice. For beverages, I would like warm sake." Writing the order down, the waitress nodded and immediately left to put in the request.

The two sat in a comfortable silence, listening to the ramble the other members were making all around them. Tayuya studied the guild members silently, she found them loud, annoying and ultimately...human. To her, all humans were the same. No matter what their height, race or personality. Trivial stuff like that didn't matter to her because she knew that if the right strings were pulled, they could turn into ugly monsters.

She was broken out of her muse when the voice of one of their comrades spoke towards them.

"Naruto-san." The blonde looked up and saw Erza next to him. Naruto smiled and gestured for her to sit down.

"Just Naruto is fine. We're all friends here." She nodded at him, the red headed girl was out on missions fairly often so there was never a chance for them to talk.

"Thanks for that. I, myself, don't usually allow my comrades to call me with formalities."

"So, how can I help you?" Erza only took a second to gather her thoughts.

"I heard that you formed a team with Lucky and Cana. " The blonde nodded in confirmation.

"So how have you guys been holding up so far? Though I take S-class missions, I find the A-class sections a bit tiring as well."

"Well, Cana's been doin great. She's a great fighter and those cards have been quite useful in many situations. Lucky is the same, while not a great fighter, she makes it up with her intellect." That was the general idea of his team. Brains, brawns and balance. They were a team with many skills and specialties which would ultimately award them with many job options in the future.

"That's great." Erza said in relief. She had been a bit worried for her friends Cana and Lucky. She knew them and thought of them like sisters from the guild. Erza was close to everyone in Fairy Tail, whether as friends or as comrade in arms. Cana, being a veteran member of the guild like Erza, was close to the armored woman through their friendship and guild status. Lucky was like her little sister, fun to play with and talk with too.

Noticing the girls relief, Naruto decided to add on, "Maah, don't worry. As long as I'm there, they won't be hurt. I promise." Erza widened her eyes a fraction by his ability at reading her but smiled nonetheless.

"Thank you. Though they can take care of themselves, I will trust you with their well-being, Naruto." The blonde nodded with a smile and gave her a thumbs up.

"Don't worry, I am quite strong myself. Nothing short of an army of immortal freaks can stop me." Erza nodded, not realizing the truth in his words. She was about to say something but not before the waitress came over with their orders.

"Itadakimasu." Both Naruto and Tayuya said in unison. Naruto started eating as did his cat while Erza was trying to start another conversation.

"So...I understand that you'll be in the tournament." The blonde nodded and grinned.

"Well, it sounds like fun. I wonder who's participating though..." Erza shook her head.

"The usual ten plus you since Gildartz whom usually doesn't competes. Cana's sick so I doubt that she'll be in this time which means your the tenth." Erza said before continuing.

"Gray, Natsu, Luxus, Fried, Bixlow, Mira, Evergreen, Gildartz, you and myself it seems will be in this time." Naruto whistled appreciatively at the list. It was a contest of Fairy Tail's finest. The Raijinshuu were there, as well as Mira the leader of team "Takeover", Gildartz, the strongest of the guild, Luxus the S-classed magician, Gray the Ice Alchemist, Salamander Natsu and last but not least the "Titania" Erza herself.

And you can't forget the Dragon of the West himself.

"Quite the list. I've heard of the Raijinshuu's reputation from the south and i must say that they sound pretty impressive." Erza nodded in agreement.

"They're a great team with a great leader. Fried whom is an S-class magician like myself, has made quite a strong name for himself. Even I have trouble crossing blades with him."

"Well this sounds great. I haven't had a good fight in a while."

"You sound really confident in yourself." Erza replied.

"I should be. Any mage worth their salts has too if they want to be part of Fairy Tail." There was no arguing with that logic, Erza thought to herself amused. For the few minutes of talking to him, she realized that there was more to him then meets the eye.

"So what kind of magic do you use?" Naruto smirked.

"I use winds techniques." Naruto replied vaguely. Erza narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. She caught his smirk and didn't like it one bit.

"Is that it?" Naruto shook his head.

"If you want to know my powers, the best way to find out is to beat them out of me during the tournament." She nodded, he wanted to make a big show and entertain the crowd.

That was perfectly fine to her. She liked to do the same.

"I see...well you'd better be careful. Underestimating someone could be your downfall." Naruto chuckled at the comment.

"The same could be said to anyone."

"Well, it has been nice chatting with you. It seems the new pile of missions are in. Thank you for your time." Naruto waved his hands dismissively.

"No need for that. If ya wanna talk then anytime's fine." She nodded and left after saying her goodbyes. He looked at the time and saw that it was indeed the schedule for the mission post arrivals. Feeling a familiar presence on his head, he looked to his side and saw that all the fish that his cat ordered were gone.

"Are you done?" Tayuya nodded.

"Thanks for the meal, now you wanted to introduce me to your teammates?" Naruto nodded and proceeded to walk out of the building, intent on seeing his sickly teammates.

* * *

_Cana's Apartment_

"Lucky? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked. He had just arrived to check on Cana and was given a surprise when the violet haired girl answered instead.

"We're roommates." She deadpanned, suddenly making Naruto feel stupid all of a sudden. If he had known that, then recruiting them would have been way easier.

"O-ok. Well, I never knew. I came to check on you guys, can I come in?" The violet haired teen nodded and smiled.

Naruto walked in and was surprised by the size of the place. The room was about the size of his room back home. The walls were painted a light shade of lavender, effectively matching the curtains which were of the same color. They had a sizable couch that looked to be a pullout bed type. The kitchen was conveniently placed next to the hall of the bedrooms making for easy midnight snacks. It was very homey, in his opinion.

"Nice place." She smiled at him.

"Thanks and please stay quiet, Cana's asleep." The moment she said that, the door from the back suddenly opened, revealing their third teammate. She was wearing a plain white T-shirt and violet colored panties. Naruto was suddenly glad that Jiraiya had taught him self-control on their training trip because if he hadn't he'd be blushing pretty hard right about now.

Because there was hardly a woman in Konoha that could look that good with just a T-shirt and panties. Well besides Anko and Kurenai of course but they were like in their 30's.

"Naruto? What are you doing here?" Cana said drowsily, she was still half asleep. Lucky sighed at her.

"I just came to check up on you two. I heard you were sick." Cana smiled at his consideration, she had woken up in the morning with a high fever and headache.

"Cana! Go back to bed, you're still sick... " Lucky interrupted, she had spent the entire day trying to keep her in bed but to no avail. The woman was restless and easy to stir at times.

"Sorry..." Cana grinned sheepishly.

"I also came by to introduce you two to our new member." They rose their brows in curiosity at that mention.

"Where?" The girls asked simultaneously. Naruto chuckled and tapped the top of his head, confusing both girls. Their eyes widened when they say a blue cat whom, to them, looked similiar to Happy, Natsu's partner.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. My name is Tayuya." Like Cana, the exceed was half asleep from the journey to their home.

"H-hi." Lucky exclaimed all of a sudden, knocking her roomate out of her stupor.

"W-whoa, hello there. Name's Cana. Cana Alberona." Her eyes were still wide, obviously not expecting the development.

"I'm Lucky. Lucky Oillieta."

Naruto knew that their reactions were to be expected, which was why is was so damn funny.

"S-so..." The violet haired teen said in an attempt to start a conversation.

"Do you two like music?" The exceed said apatheically.

"Yes." They answered at the same time, though confused with the nature of the question. Tayuya gave a thin smile at their response.

"Then we'll get along just fine." Naruto sighed, he knew she didn't really have anything else to relate too.

"Well it's getting late. Before I go, I'm gonna tell you guys that I entered the Mage Mash tournament." Cana smirked at him.

"Aiming for the top already huh?" The blonde nodded.

"Good luck with that." She chuckled, "Well if you excuse me, I'll be catching up on my sleep." Naruto smiled at her.

"Night." She said before closing the door.

"Well, I'll see you two tomorrow..." Just as he was about to leave, he remembered something his master had told him long ago. Pulling out his gourd, he let a drop of his "Dragon" sake spill into a bottle of water he had with him.

"Give this to Cana, it'll help her go to sleep." Lucky nodded and headed towards their room. Opening the door to leave, he silently closed it back. Wishing for the well being of his teammates.

* * *

_Magnolia streets. 30 minutes after. _

"So...what do you think?" The blonde asked.

"Their...pure." Tayuya answered truthfully, she had been observing the two during their meeting. She was searching for two things, that could only be seen through eye contact. Those with a dark past and a grieving soul with a mask of happiness or someone who was pure and kind due to their normal life.

Naruto sighed happily at her answer. "Good." Tayuya tilted her head in confusion.

"I plan to keep it that way."

* * *

_Unknown. Time Unknown. _

A huge sigh could be heard. Well to the normal humans, it would be huge anyways.

_**"So you've finally decided to show up huh?" **_A booming voice spoke from the top of what looked like a meeting room for kings. Their were seats carved from what looked like greek marble and the entire room looked to be a tower with no walls. The whole building was supported by huge pillars and the setting of the building was what a human being would call heaven. The sky.

"_**Sorry, I was busy you see." **_The reply was smug and completely unnecessary, which elicited the chuckles of a few from the back. Black eyes met blue in a fierce clash, they stared each other down for a whole minute before giving up.

_**"You never change...Tridantes."**_ Said dragon smirked at his "superior".

_**"And you're as pompous as ever, King."**_

_**

* * *

**_

End.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

I know some of you are confused as to why I named her Tayuya and I'll say this now. It's just a reference. Oh and if some of you are wondering, Tayuya is keeping the exceed business to herself. Meaning they don't know what an exceed is yet.

(1) Anago means eel. Or an eel dish.

Heres a few updates on the teams I forgot to add.

_**Team Otherworld**_

_**Members: Cana Alberona, Lucky Ollietta, Uzumaki Naruto, Tayuya**_

_**Leader: Naruto**_

_**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**_

_**Team Shadow Gear**_

_**Members: Levi McGarden, Jet, Droy**_

_**Leader: Levi**_

_**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**_

_**Team Raijinshuu**_

_**Members: Evergreen, Bixlow, Fried Justine**_

_**Leader: Fried (Luxus as well when he desires their assistance)**_

_**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**_

_**The "Strongest" Team/ Team Natsu/ Team Property Damage**_

_**Members: Dragneel Natsu, Gray Fullbuster, Erza Scarlet, Lucy Heartfilia, Happy**_

_**Leader: No leader. Erza if there was one.**_

_**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**_

_**Team "Takeover"/ Sibling Team  
**_

_**Members: Lisanna, Elfman, Mirajane**_

_**Leader: Mirajane**_

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Again, thank you for reading. Err, if it isn't too much, please review and give me your thoughts. It will really help with the input of the story.

Oh and I apologize to those who are looking for the "Mini" Harem. I won't be writing that, this story will be Naruto/Cana. Weird choice, I know. But hey, like this I can start from scratch.

But if you do like harems, I will write another story but not soon. And if I do make a Harem, it sure as hell ain't gonna be a Fairy Tail crossover. I respect those characters too much. Lol, overall, i respect woman too much to make harems at leisure.

_~Sniper Artist_


	6. Tipsy Dragon

_**The Dragon of the West**_

_A Fanfiction by: Sniper Artist_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Fairy Tail. I am only using their respective characters for a fanfiction._

_Summary: Upon his tearful death, Naruto meets a dragon. Given a second chance to live, he is sent to Fiore or more specifically Magnolia. Pre-canon Fairy Tail. Naruto X Fairy tail_

_**A/N: Read this chapter carefully, there might few concepts that will be hard to grasp. **_

_

* * *

_

_Unknown... _

Darkness is not always a pleasant place to be. It is often known to shroud a person's vision, change their minds, effect their decisions and ultimately destroy them. This is both meant literally and figuratively. Mankind has always had a sinister nature within them, whether for good intentions of bad. Justice is often misused and made as an excuse for dark behavior. People commit crimes in the name of "justice', which can only be described as the fools of the litter. This has been a problem since the beginning of time.

But not for these individuals. No, these guys are just plain bad. Not a good intention in sight for any if them.

In a room that could only be described as dark and gloomy sat 3 people. Each one, un-surpassed masters in their magicial abilities and was formerly praised as the best mages in their times. Their faces effectively covered in darkness, making it difficult to see their facial expressions. The corner of the rooms were lit by dim candles, with what looked like a medieval styled room consisting of weapons on the sides a huge round table with what looked like a map of the world.

A man entered, looking nervous with the subtle shake in his steps. He had black hair and brown eyes, though filled with life, were also filled with fear and uncertainty.

"_Have...you located your target?"_ The one in the middle said in a ghostly tone, a tone that sent shivers through the body of the man. Composing himself, he replied confidently.

"Yes sir! The one you seek is indeed in Magnolia as we speak. What are your orders sir?" There was a small pause indicating that the man was thinking of a solution. As the minutes dripped by, he grew more and more nervous. The sheer aura of the three in front of him were nearly suffocating his very being.

_"Send the Valkyries. That man will not leave Magnolia alive." _The messenger nodded and left the room. As soon as the coast was clear, he sighed in relief and dropped to his knees gasping. Just standing in their presence tired him out, he could only imagine the poor souls that got in the way of their ambitions.

Back inside the meeting room, the other three were discussing their current mission.

"Is it wise to send the Valkyries? You know just as well as I do, that they stand no chance." A voice said from the right. It was slightly feminine but was incredibly difficult to tell with due to the deep voice.

_"I know... Do you question my plans?" _Was the reply of the other man.

The woman sighed, tired of being in the room already. She had better things to do then to brood around in one room with this old man who seemed a bit on the chaotic side. Then again, it didn't matter to her because they all had he same goals.

"Do as you wish...Hades." She suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving almost no evidence of her ever being there. A sigh could be heard from the right which caught the attention of the man in the middle.

"What a waste of time, why did you ask me to be here again?" A masculine voice said, the annoyance clear in his voice.

_"My apologies brother. I just wanted to make sure this all worked out. I needed to speak with you about our strategies." _The other man shook his head, almost in a disapproving manor.

"Is this man really worth the trouble?"

_"Yes...Ivan Dreyher has crossed us for the last time..."_

* * *

_Fairy Tail,_

_Evergreen v. Naruto_

_Natsu v. Luxus_

_Erza v. Bixlow_

_Mira v. Gray_

_Gildartz v. Fried_

The official matchups had been placed on the top of the mission board. As soon as it was released, everyone immediately started placing bets on whom would come out on top. There were no bets on Gildartz's matches, due to everyone assuming his immediate victory which wasn't the slightest bit offending to Fried. Even he thought he didn't stand a chance but Gildartz tried to reassure him of his abilities, saying that no one was invincible.

"Alight guys this is how it's gonna work. Well you bums know how it works but for those who don't, I'll explain." The master said, glancing at Naruto whom looked grateful at him.

"The Mage Mash is a once a year, mini-tournament that is meant to, in a sense copy the _**GFW**_." Naruto's face grew in confusion at the mention of "GFW" but shrugged it off when the master gave him a "I'll tell you later" face.

"It will be held at night five days from today, the first round matches will start at around 7 p.m. You guys will have to be there in time or risk disqualifying." Everyone nodded, waiting for him to continue. No one noticed Naruto's brief, dark smirk.

"The first round has a few rules but thankfully they are not too restricting so be thankful ya crazy bums." The guild chuckled at that comment.

"There are only two things worth mentioning, the first is that you are not allowed to use forbidden magic. For example, blood and death magic are forbidden and if you are caught, then you will be sentenced to imprisonment by the council." The mention of forbidden magics sparked his curiosity a bit. His teacher had told him of a few but he'd never heard of "blood" magic before.

_"Tridantes probably didn't deem it too threatening to tell me huh..." _He thought to himself, sighing mentally at the dragon's antics. He was broken out of his muse when the Makarov continued.

"The second is that the matches will be limited to 25 minutes and if there is no winner by knockout, there will be judges to determine the winner." Naruto rose his eyebrows.

"And how will that work out?" The master grinned sheepishly.

"Well...it doesn't happen too often. The last time a decision had to be made was when Mira and Erza were dukin it out last year." The two had the decency to blush at that mention. It was indeed a long match, clothes were torn, words were said, anger exploded and the end result were two half naked teens on the ground. Perverts watching were all quite pleased that day. The guys on the other hand smiled inwardly, all thinking the same thing.

_"Best match in history."_

Naruto caught the looks on the men's faces and grew more and more curious.

_"Damn, I shoulda came here last year..."_ He knew what those faces meant, they were thinking very Jiraiya-like things. The blonde had already put two and two together.

"Anyways... three people from the council will be judging so if there was a decision, they will make it." Naruto nodded, understanding the logic.

The short elder took a second to catch his breathe and speak again, "The winners of the first round will obviously go to the finals. I know some of you are thinking along the lines of "it would be unfair because someone will get a bye round'. But that is not the case because we of Fairy Tail are what people say...Extreme." Naruto tilted his head, obviously the one who was thinking that. The master had a mischevious smile on his face the moment he said that indicating that he had something cooked up.

"Instead of having 3 rounds with one person having a bye, I have come up with a different solution. Actually my old teammate came up with it to entertain the crowd." The blonde was growing impatient, already wanting the man to get on with it.

"His plan was to make the tournament with 2 rounds. The winners of round one will be put up against each other in a free for all fight. A five man/woman rumble you could say." Naruto's eyes widened, obviously not expecting that. His shocked face turned to one of sheer excitement, his body shivering at such an idea.

"One more thing... This fight is kinda special...in a way. You see it is actually the semi-finals." Naruto waited for him to continue.

"When a mage is deemed unable to fight in this round, there will be a 5 minute intermission whenever one goes down. After the break ends, the cycle will continue until two are left as you can see. When it comes to that, a 10 minute break will be held so the competitors will have time to rest up. That is considered to be the true finals." It wasn't as complicated as it sounded, Naruto thought. So basically, they do a five way battle until two are left and those two are the finale.

"Wow." He breathed out.

"Yeah, I had the same reaction. Sounds fun doesn't it?" Makarov said with a smile.

"Damn right it does. I love it!" He said, with everyone behind him yelling in agreement.

"Yup, so be ready. It's on Sunday." Everyone nodded and scattered to do whatever they did. Naruto left the guild to go home and everyone else continued with what they did.

* * *

_30 Minutes later, Fairy Tail's roof. _

The Raijinshuu officially made this place their meeting spot ever since the master gave them permission to take S-ranked missions. While Fried was considered S-rank by his peers, he was actually the only one amongst his teammates to be on the actual level. Evergreen, while witty and clever, was not strong enough to be put on the level of S. Same with Bixlow and his puppet souls styled magic.

"Aaahaha, I feel sorry for you two. Bix, you have to fight the "Titania" Erza." The masked man snorted in response, feeling a bit offended by the lack of faith his friend had.

"Please, I can totally take her! Yeah!" Shaking her head at his arrogance, she looked at Fried and almost pitied the man.

"Fried, you will be facing Gildartz on the other hand." Bixlow grew quiet at that mention, pitying his leader for his lack of luck. Fried chuckled and waved his hands dismissively.

"You two will eventually fight him anyways. Not like it matters, Gildartz will be the winner. It's obvious to everyone around." He replied calmly, without missing a beat. Evergreen shook at that thought, she didn't want to be the victim of Gildartz's "Crash" magic.

"True... hey do you guys know anything about that Naruto kid? He's my first round opponent." Bixlow laughed.

"Why? you worried? He's just some rookie that came here a month ago, you shouldn't have too much trouble." The glasses wearing woman smirked at the comment, feeling her self-confidence grow.

"Yeah, you're right. I mean, he's just some kid right?" Fried sighed at her, she was even more arrogant then Bixlow. He was glad that they made him leader or rather, Luxus made him leader because he was certainly the open-minded one of the trio.

"Aren't you the one who scolds others about their arrogance?" She blushed at Fried's claim.

"Y-yeah, you're right. I'll take him seriously." Fried nodded, satisfied by the answer.

"You better... he's much better than he let's on." The woman looked at him curiously, obviously waiting for him to continue. Fried shook his head at her.

"Luxus only said to be wary of him..." They were all confused at that. But if their boss told them to be careful, then they would.

None of them had no idea how right Luxus was, in fact they didn't have a clue.

* * *

_Funbari Onsen (Naruto's place)_

After a long, tiring week, there is nothing better than an onsen to soothe one's mind and soul. The water was at the perfect temperature, not too hot and not too cold for his tastes which he appreciated immediately. The bath was relaxing all the muscles on his body, nearly making him fall asleep in the process. The blonde smiled when he heard a groan right next to him, his friend, Tayuya had also taken a liking to the place.

"Y'know, this is the men's side, Tayuya." The exceed grunted and turned away from him, not even bothering to make eye contact.

"I'm a cat, not a human. I have no interest in seeing what human females would." Naruto chuckled at that, he was after all only teasing.

"Jeez, I was kidding. Man, I love this place. It's sooo peaceful..." Tayuya nodded in agreement. She found the place to be quite amazing as well with the sounds of nature around the place and a small waterfall to make you feel calmed. This was heaven.

"Too bad about the price though. It's expensive to be in here because Anna-dono is so strict on paying rent. She said that I was a "cheap freeloader that goaded her husband into making my stay here free for six months'. The woman scares me at times." The exceed chuckled at the memory. Asakura Anna, wife to the landlord, Asakura Yoh, was often the one in charge of collecting rent from paying customers. After hearing the deal Naruto made with her husband, she was naturally upset at the bargain but lived with it.

"Shouldn't you be practicing for that tournament? While I detest humans, even I find a few of them to be quite formidable." Naruto shook his head.

"Nah, I've mastered my style of magic a while back. The only thing I have trouble with is the final technique my master showed me and I highly doubt it will ever come to that." Tayuya raised her brows at the claim. A master? It took years for one to be a true master at what they did, Tayuya had thought.

"Forgive my bluntness but I do not believe you. How in the world could someone as young as you be a master? It takes years to master magic. The only master I've seen are ancient dragons of old and your current guild master, Makarov." Naruto chuckled.

"I had a great master."

"And may I ask who your teacher is? I may know him. Though I may not look it but I used to travel the world often as a bard." Naruto grinned thinly at her.

"I totally believe you about the bard part. I mean, you do love music." She grinned proudly.

"I don't see any harm in telling you, but you must not tell anyone else. I want this to be a surprise to everyone." She nodded and waited for him to continue. He took a deep breathe and smiled.

"My master was Tridantes, the traveler of the night and the real Dragon of the West." The exceed widened her eyes considerably. Not only did she recognize the name but the surprise came more from the sheer reputation the dragon had. As a bard, she'd heard many stories of the "Dragon of the West". There were countless tales on how the mighty Tridantes would descend from the night sky and shred apart fools who dared enter his domain. His roar would claim many lives from the killer intent alone, he would flap his wings and blow away buildings with hurricanes, he would command the shadows and use them to reap hell against his opponents.

So you could understand her shock. The stories of Tridante were often used to scare little children to sleep. For example, one could say "Don't stay up too late or Tridantes will come eat you in your sleep..." and the children would believe them.

Noticing her shock, he waved his hands at her face. "Hellooo... Awake there?" He said amused.

"Y-you know Tridantes?" She asked rhetorically, Naruto nodded. It was hard for her to believe but the honestly in his voice got through to her.

"Do you have any idea...just how feared that Dragon is?" The exceed exclaimed in his face, never in her life would she have believed that the legendary dragon would have a student.

"Nope, he's annoying but feared... ehh maybe. I've only fought him seriously once and he destroyed me where I stood. I was known to be a fierce warrior back in the days before I met him and even with all my might, I only managed to pushed him past his first restraint." He said with admiration and respect laced in his voice.

_"I didn't use my Demon Cloak but it wouldn't have changed much, the technique leaves me defense-less after it wears down. I was arrogant and thought Sage Mode would suffice. How wrong was I?" _He thought as his hands unconsciously rubbed an invisible scar that the dragon had awarded him for his efforts. Of course it had healed a long time ago but he still felt it.

_"Only anti-dragon attacks can harm a dragon. Rasenshuriken was the only technique that harmed him. Not to mention I hit him twice with it. They don't kid when they say only Dragon-slayers could slay dragons." _He had that power now, the power to defeat dragons. To this day, he never understood it. Why would a dragon teach a human to slay it's own kind? There was no logic at all.

"How many restraints does he have?" Tayuya asked, finally snapping out of her shock.

"Hmm...Tridantes limits himself to 3 restraints. Though I pushed him past his first, I was damn close at forcing him to his second. He's far too powerful for me to fight." He answered after a moment of thought.

"You must have been powerful to push a Dragon such as him. Compared to the other dragons, he's considered to be on the top tier. The only ones I can think of that can match him are _Fire Dragon, Igneel_ and _Grandine the Sky Dragon_. It is quite possible for you to beat him if you trained harder." Naruto shook his head.

"Nah, I would be hardpressed to beat him if he were dead serious. I honestly don't think there's a human on this planet that can defeat him fair and square. The sheer amount of energy he had...astounded even myself, whom was known to have an abnormal amount of magical energy." Tayuya nodded in agreement.

"Well you are correct in most of your observations...except one." Naruto looked at her curiously, wondering what she would say.

"There is a human that could defeat him...fortunately he's been gone for years." He was confused at first before realization dawned upon him.

"Ahh, I forgot about him. Zerief, the ancient. My master told me about him." The blonde shivered at the stories he was told. It took a while to convince his master to tell him about Zerief but he eventually got to him by exchanging stories.

* * *

_(Flashback)_

_"Zerief?" _

_Tridantes looked from his student to the night sky, memories of the man called Zerief filling his thoughts. He remembered the fierce sieges that he led against the Council and their armies, the living demons he summoned from the Underworld that had completely ravaged the cities, the thousands of corpses he used as spell ingredients, the amount of humans that was slain by the man. Even for a dragon such as he, it was a terrifying thing to watch. Tridantes smiled and looked at the man whom he looked as a student and friend. Naruto had more potential than anything, human, exceed, dragon or demon. _

_"Zerief of old, the most powerful mage in the history of Fiore, the __**"Dark Wizard". **__He was the supreme master of all types of "Living" magic, a forbidden art." The dragon spoke in a serene tone as he looked at the blonde. Naruto was waiting for him to continue, he was always interested in stories. _

_"What was he like?" _

_"He was truly a monster to behold. The man was the student to the previous most powerful mage in the world. No one knows what happened, no one knows how but Zerief killed him. The battle last for many days but he survived. He took his master's staff and used it to lay attack after attack against the council of Magi. Makarov, the current master of Fairy Tail, fought him to a stand still for 6 hours then lost valliantly. Luckily for him, 9 other mages arrived just in time to help him fight off the man. Together, they were able to push him back and seal him into a hidden prison. Those 10 mages were awarded the title of "Saint" after the massive battle and were then given a guild of their own. A few have died over the years but the title of Saint lives on." Naruto had a look of amazement stretched all over his face. He had a stupid smile on hos face that indicated his excitement and looked as if he was about to explode. _

_"Wow...that is definitely going in my top five favorite stories of all time, right next to the Forth Hokage sealing the Kyuubi and the rise of the 7th Hokage." He said nodding to himself, it was a known fact that Naruto liked to brag about his rise to greatness. Though he usually left his childhood out of it since he didn't want to sound too angsty and sad. Naruto liked to tell stories of adventure! Besides, no one would understand the the blight of a Jinchuuriki so there was no point in telling anyone of it's terror. Only a Jinchuuriki can understand the loneliness of a Jinchuuriki, no words in the world could grasp the feeling. _

_Tridantes laughed outloud at his student's declaration. "In Fiore, that story is legendary. Why don't you tell me about this Hokage you keep telling me about? We had a deal, I tell you one story, you tell me one." He said seriously. Naruto smiled a brilliant smile and prepared his own tale. _

_"The 7th Hokage, whom's name is unknown, was known to be the most powerful shinobi in the world. His awesomeness was unsurpassed, his might was legendary, his smile made crying babies laugh with a joy that could only be seen every once a decade. He grew up a lonely orphan but that never, ever stopped him from attaining his dream of being Hokage. Determined to prove those who wronged him, he fought and fought until he was able to rise to the top. When he was 12, he fought and won against one of the nine great Jinchuuriki, the fabled demon containers. The battle was long and cruel but to save his precious ones he went all out and summoned thousands of clones by his side. When the Jinchuuriki transformed into a giant Tanuki, he summoned his own giant steed to mount and fought the demon to a standstill for many moments. The battle ended with the 7th as the winner and he returned to his village a young hero. But that was only the start of his journey to the top. He's rescued princesses from evil, saved priestesses from demons, defeated armies that dared stood in his way to success. By the time he was 17, he achieved his childhood dreams of love and respect. His reign lasted for 6 wonderful years and in that time, his village flourished. The economy bloomed beautifully and peace came." He finished and wiped the tears in his eyes. Yes, he cried at his own story. He didn't tell Tridantes that it was actually he, that was in the story but Naruto had a feeling the Dragon knew anyways. It wasn't very difficult to put two and two together for him. _

_"What an amazing tale, you should write a book!" The dragon responded with a ear shattering laugh. _

_"Well, I've been thinking about it. Well, a story for a story right?" The dragon nodded. _

_"Indeed."_

_

* * *

_

_(Flashback End)_

"So what will you do?" Tayuya asked, breaking Naruto out of his memories.

"Hmm?" The exceed sighed at her partner's habit of spacing out.

"The tournament..." Naruto grinned sheepishly.

"Maaah, don't worry about it. The only ones whom I see as a challenge are Gildartz and Luxus. Whilst Erza is strong, she is no match for me. It is the same for Mira and everyone else, I have the ultimate defense for both physical and magical attacks." He replied confidently which brought a look of wonder to the exceed.

"Is that so..." Naruto nodded in confirmation.

"Just wait and see. I don't call myself the Dragon of the West simply because I thought it sounded cool."

* * *

_Few Days later..._

_Tournament Day. _

Naruto walked to Fairy Tail with a calm demeanor. He was thinking about the file he had read on Gildartz and was absolutely confused by the vague description of his magic. All it had said was "Crash". He spent a few hours thinking about the possibilities but was ultimately stumped.

"What the hell does "Crash" magic look like?" He muttered to himself.

"Oh? Thinking ahead already?" He heard a voice say from beside him. Tilting his head, he saw one of the lesser famous member of the guild. It was Macao, he specialized in fire magic and transformations.

"Hmm, you're Macao. Cana told me about you, wassup?" The blonde replied cheerfully.

"Well I heard you talking to yourself and I thought I could help ya." The older man said making the blonde rub the back of his head sheepishly.

"Maah, you heard that?"

"Yeah, well I guess I could tell you. Gildartz's "Crash" techniques can destroy any matter. Yeah, bit vague but it's better than nuthin right?" Naruto grinned and thanked him.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind..."

"No problem but don't get your hopes up. I've heard of your wind magic from Cana but it won't be enough to beat him. Besides, you've got Evergreen in the first round and she ain't no pushover." One of the lessons that was taught to him was to never underestimate anyone, though he never had this problem, it was still important.

"I know. Thanks man, be sure to watch. I promise ya it'll be a good fight." With that, Naruto ran off. Macao shook his head and chuckled.

"Kids...so young. Err...wait, I'm young too. Yeah! 33 ain't that old." He kept telling himself.

* * *

_Two hours before the start.._

_Fairy Tail Lobby._

"Yo Naruto."

The blonde was trying to catch some sleep before the start of the matches. He didn't feel the need to take any jobs for the day since he felt it would only tire him.

"Cana? Feeling better?" She nodded and smiled.

"Yup, dunno what you put in that drink but it was great. Slept like a baby." He chuckled at that. His "Dragon" sake was no joke, not only did it taste great, it was also a great medicine.

"Thanks, I'll tell you about it some other time. Where's Lucky?"

"She'll be here by the time the matches start." He nodded.

"That's great. But I'm soooo bored. Time moves too damn slow." Chuckling at her teammates antics, she patted him on the back in an attempt to appease him. The blonde turned out to be not only a great comrade but also a great friend. He helped her out with alot of things and not to mention that he was a very heavy drinker.

"Well, what are you gonna do?" She asked him. Naruto went into a drinking posture for a few minutes, then snapped his fingers at a conclusion.

"We have a few hours, let's get a drink." She rose her eyebrows at him.

"You're gonna get drunk before the tournament?" Naruto laughed and waved his hands dismissing her question.

"Don't worry about me, Evergreen won't last 5 minutes against me." He said confidently, though some would say over-confident it was still legit.

"Is that so?" She asked skeptically. Cana had seen the glasses wearing woman fight and thought she was damn impressive.

Without skipping a beat, Naruto nodded. "You haven't seen me fight seriously before so it isn't a surprise. I have other tricks besides wind magic ya know..." That threw her for a loop but it wasn't surprising. Anytime she'd seen him fight, he always had some stupid looking grin on his face that indicated his silly nature rather than a serious one.

"Alright... if you say so." She finished loudly, having somehow imagined him winning. Though she was a bit hesitant to believe his claim, it didn't matter. Like everyone else, she would have to wait and see.

"Good, now let's get a drink!" Grabbing her hand, he dragged her to the guild bar.

_"How ironic, usually I'm the one that drags someone to the bar.." _She thought happily to herself. There was never a dull moment whenever hanging out with the whiskered teen, she figured out long ago. He was unpredictable which was a great thing.

But she wondered just how unpredictable he could be. Maybe he'll be a shocker in the Mage Mash, she hoped.

* * *

_Local Stadium. 2 hours later. _

"Umm, Naruto?" A voice spoke, breaking the blonde from his sleep.

"Are you alright?" He saw the master say in a worried tone, the old man sure was nice to care for such a trivial thing.

"I'm fine, a little sober hehe." He lied through his teeth, he was drunk 30 minutes ago and had finally became sane just a minute ago. So he was actually quite tipsy.

_"Damn fox, fix this already!" _The Kyuubi was asleep so he didn't bother commanding his chakra to cure him. Though Naruto mastered his chakra, didn't mean that he could take it at will. The fox still had to grant him the power.

"Ok...Remember, you're up first." He told him before facing the crowd. It was beautiful night and was a perfect setting for a Mage Mash tournament. The stars were alive in the candle light and everyone was present. He sensed Mistgun's presence somewhere among the crowd but didn't bother looking for him, the masked man probably wanted to see how strong the blonde was.

"Ladies and gentleman of Magnolia, welcome to this year's annual Mage Mash!" He yelled out to the crowd elicting a huge cheer from them. The crowd was huge, everyone from the city was there. The Mage Mash event was the most popular thing to happen since mages. The tension was in the air, Luxus looked at Gildartz with fire in his eyes, willing to prove himself as a great mage rather than being the grandson of Makarov. He had a huge shadow cast upon him, one that he couldn't surpass easily.

Erza looked also glanced at the taller man and acknowledged his presence. She hadn't planned on entering this year but once she heard Gildartz entered, she immediately changed her mind. Erza respected those whom were strong and just, and to her Gildartz was both to the extreme. The red headed woman turned her head and saw Mira shaking in excitement, probably having trouble containing herself.

"Alright! Everyone excluding Evergreen and Naruto go to the sidelines." The master yelled. Everyone complied naturally and all eyes were on the two that stood down one another. Everyone was hyped to see the match because one of the competitors was a member of the famous Raijinshuu. Evergreen was infamous for her fairy-like techniques and eye techniques. Naruto himself, was famous but not as much as the woman in front oh im. A few hidden criminals whom were watching him acknowledged his strength because most of his fame was spread through the underground world of criminals rather than the public world.

Evergreen would have been totally hyped if not for one thing.

"Are you drunk?" She sneered angrily. Naruto looked at her and scowled.

"No!" All eyes went to him.

"I'm tipsy..." He mumbled pathetically and grinned making some people from the crowd laugh. And with that all hell broke loose as Evergreen turned red with anger. She hated being underestimated and it was worse when some rookie did that.

No one in the crowd caught what happened but the match was over before it started. The Dragon of the West had reaped it's first victim.

* * *

End.

First cliffhanger. Hehe, well don't be so angry cuz I'll be out with the next chapter soon. Not too soon but I won't make you.

I hope you don't mind the story telling dialogues because those are actually tied to the story, if some of you haven't realized.

I put alot of "hints" in this chapter so I'm pretty satisfied with it. And I really hoped you guys understood the tournament layout.

It's not too complicated.

_Round 1_

_Match 1: Evergreen vs. Naruto_

_Match 2: Luxus vs. Natsu_

_Match 3: Erza vs. Bixlow_

_Match 4: Mira vs. Gray_

_Match 5: Fried vs. Gildartz_

_

* * *

_

_Round 2/Finals _

_Free for all: Naruto vs. M2 vs. M3 vs. M4 vs. M5 winners_

_Elimination match. _

_

* * *

_

And there you go. Oh and don't mind too much of Yoh and Anna. I'm just referencing them, there will be no Shaman king Crossover. I also fixed the time skip thing from before since some people forgot to read my A/N on chapter 2.

Thank you for reading.

_~Sniper Artist_


	7. The Night is their Domain

_**The Dragon of the West**_

_A Fanfiction by: Sniper Artist_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Fairy Tail. I am only using their respective characters for a fanfiction._

_Summary: Upon his tearful death, Naruto meets a dragon. Given a second chance to live, he is sent to Fiore or more specifically Magnolia. Pre-canon Fairy Tail. Naruto X Fairy tail_

_**A/N: Kishimoto-dono beat me to it lol. If you've been reading the manga, then you'll know what i mean.**_

_**Anyways, enjoy!**_

_

* * *

_

_Magnolia Stadium_

Silence was the only thing in the air as the crowd was witnessing the fight below. Not a single person could blink as they were utterly confused by what had just happened moments. Evergreen, the apparent crowd favorite, had just went down in mere seconds. Naruto hadn't moved or even flinched, he just stood in his spot calmly albeit a little tipsy. The S-classed mages whom were watching widened their eyes in surprise, obviously not expecting the turn of events.

"W-what happened to Evergreen?" Natsu asked, shaken by the development. The betting odds were in favor of Evergreen completely. Naruto stood there, not even looking like he was trying to fight whilst Evergreen was on her knees, completely in pain from her own attack.

"I don't know..." Erza responded, also shocked by scene. Beside them, Luxus scoffed, completely disappointed by his colleague's lack of insight. But he couldn't blame her, knowing that she didn't know his abilities like he did.

"Just watch again Natsu, maybe you'll learn something." He said to them making everyone narrow there eyes.

Gildartz sighed at the boy's rudeness. "Maah, don't be so mean Luxus. He's not quite as experienced as you, ya know." Natsu rose his brows, still confused.

_"It was very clever though. Who woulda thought? A dark horse in this tournament." _Gildartz thought to himself. His years of experience had been able to catch the trick Naruto had used to put the woman where she was right now. The ground.

* * *

_(Flashback)_

_"I'm tipsy..." He mumbled pathetically and grinned making some people from the crowd laugh. And with that all hell broke loose as Evergreen turned red with anger. She hated being underestimated and it was worse when some rookie did that. _

_**"Wing Magic: Aera!" **__Summoning wings from her back, she then flew into the air to obtain the advantage. She noticed that he still hadn't moved and was growing angrier by the second. _

_"_Bastard! Never underestimate me!" _Charging blindly above him and unleashed her signature attack with haste, not noticing Naruto's dark smirk._

_**"Fairy Bomb: Gremlin!" **__Unleashing a barrage of dust towards him, she watched with sadistic pleasure when she ignited them. Well she would have, if they didn't go off next to her instead. _

_"W-" She was cut off when her dust somehow appeared next to her. Trying to cancel her spell but failed as the bombs immediately blew. Everyone watched in confusion since in one second the dust bombs were next to her rather than the blonde she aimed for. _

_"Maah, in the words of my old, old sensei." He said, smirking darkly at her. _

_"Don't let anger consume you or I just might turn your technique against you, Ms. Evergreen."_

* * *

_(End Flashback)_

Naruto watched her fall down and landed on the ground with a *thud* sound. The silence of the audience pleased him greatly, especially since he asked Tayuya to put all their money on him since he knew everyone had betted on his opponent. Oh yeah! He was gonna be a rich man by the time this was over. He was definitely getting a Flat-screen after this or maybe a new couch? He could get an Xbox but the Play Station 3 was more appealing. Wait, wait...Xbox has more games and they have that new-

"Oi!" He heard an angry voice say, breaking him out of his muse. Smiling when he saw her stand up, he waved.

"Yo, glad you survived. Didn't want the match to end too fast. After all, I am a great crowd pleaser. Ain't that right!" He yelled cheerfully whilst giving the audience a thumbs up. Everyone broke out of their stupor and started cheering for him.

"HELL YEAH!" Naruto heard Cana and Lucky scream from their seats. He blew kisses in their direction and bowed comically, not noticing one of their blushes. Not hard to miss when every girl in their direction blushed as well.

"What...what did you do?" She asked, barely able to stand on her feet. Not once in five years has she ever been hit so hard and by her own attack no less. It was a mockery to her skills, the skills accumilated from years of hard work and planning.

"Why don't you try again and you might see what happens..." He told her cheekily. It was obviously a trap so she didn't go for it, opting to figure out his tricks later.

"No matter..." She gave him a sexy smirk and removed her glasses to show off her dark eyes. Naruto rose his brows and smiled childishly, figuring out her gesture.

"Ahh, I see. You were so distracted by my handsomeness that you didn't notice my trick. It's alright, it's alright. Besides, it's not very difficult to fall for this!" The blonde rose his arms to the crowd and flexed his biceps, effectively making nearly every civilan girl squeal with delight.

Evergreen flushed with anger and surprise making Bixlow and Fried chuckle silently on the sidelines. Erza and Mira laughed at their comrades complete embarrassment while Luxus just smirked at the effective taunt. The master grinned at the blonde's ability to please the crowd and just applauded him mentally for the show. Natsu and Gray were rolling on the ground laughing while holding their stomachs to ease the pain they were suffering. Gildartz just chuckled and shook his head, amused by the boy's antics.

They also felt a bit of sympathy towards Evergreen though.

In the crowds, Lucky and Cana just laughed along with everyone else in the guild whom were all grinning like idiots. Tayuya just rolled her eyes at her partner's act. Though, she had to admit, Naruto sure knew how to make the crowd go wild.

"No! Shut up and look into my eyes!" She yelled out angrily while trying to ignore that call calls and wolf whistles from the crowd, whom obviously misunderstood her words. If possible, Naruto's grin got even wider and mocked blushed at her while pressing his fingers together resembling his old friend, Hinata.

"Oh? Such boldness! My, my, I didn't take you to be that type. I must say, you are certainly unpredictable..." Her patience was running thin and only got worse when she heard Bixlow laughing out loud.

"Calm down..." She told herself and immediately looked into his eyes. He suddenly froze still much to her pleasure and began petrifying. She had gotten him for humiliating her like this, the silence of the crowd made her smile.

"Maah, a _**Doujutsu (Eye Technique)?**_ Didn't expect that..." She heard a voice from behind her, Evergreen didn't want to turn around but she had to to confirm it. Slowly moving her head, she saw the blonde smiling widely at her in a calm demeanor. She was shocked.

"Not bad...but I've had tons of practice with eye techniques. Such a thing won't work on me, Ms. Evergreen." He said while pointing to the one she had petrified earlier, only to see it dissolve into nothing.

"What?"

"My favorite technique. _**Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone)."**_ He said, proudly presenting the move that had won him thousands of battles in the past. Directing his eyes to avoid her petrifying gaze, he used his magic to send vibrations through the air as a method to keep track of her with radar-like efficiency.

_"Thank you Shikamaru... Lee..."_ His two friends had taught him this move as a way to fight Uchiha Sasuke's Sharingan.

Not willing to be a sitting duck, Evergreen flew into the air again and tried another of her attacks. Getting behind him, she charged him with fierce speed.

_**"Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!" **_Raising her arms, she brought them down in an "X" and unleashed a huge amount of magical needles at him, hoping to beat him in an instant. Naruto sighed at her predictablity and twitched his arms subtly.

_**"Kage Eisha (Shadow Projection)" **_The blonde commanded the shadows to shield him from the attack with a dome like figure. Once the needles got to him, they were instantly sucked into the void instantaneously. Evergreen widened her eyes again.

_"It's ju-"_

"-st like last time?" He finished her thoughts quickly. He pointed behind her and opened the other projection door, resulting in Evergreen's own attack flying towards her. Unable to avoid it, she braced herself and took the attack. As soon as the attack finished, she dropped to the floor silently. She was out like a light the moment she hit the ground, which didn't surprise anybody.

Makarov looked at the girl whom was unable to move and decided to call the match.

"Winner, Uzumaki Naruto!" The applause for him was thundering.

Walking towards her, The blonde picked her up and brought her to the stadium infirmary. It was the least he could do after winning with such techniques.

_"It's not her fault, someone at her level couldn't possibly defeat me during the night."_

* * *

_Sidelines_

"Huh? I still don't get it..." Natsu said outloud. Luxus resisted the urge to smack the rosy headed kid upside the head for his lack of observement. Gray was also confused, he had not been able to grasp the technique Naruto had used. Gildartz on the other hand just smiled.

_"By what Luxus told me and the old man, that technique was originally used for teleportation...and now he's using it as a defensive counter attack. Banishing anything that enters the void then redirects it towards the caster with double the power. In a sense, it's like a mirror. The name is very fitting for such a tricky move, this Kage Eisha." _Gildartz thought to himself, impressed by the blonde's ingenuity.

"That was...incredible." Erza mumbled to herself, though Evergreen wasn't anywhere near S-class, she was still formidable and not only was she soundly beaten, the victory was completely onesided. Naruto hadn't shown anymore then 2 techniques throughout the entire fight, not to mention he didn't look winded at all either. It was unsettling in a way.

"Winds? Shadows? The Dragon of the West is truly a fitting name for him!" Mira exclaimed with glee, remembering the story her master had told her about the legendary "Dragon of the West" Tridantes of old. Of course like most, she didn't believe them at all since such things were considered very mythical. Makarov knew better though.

"Indeed... His moves closely fits the descriptions of the ones Tridantes used in the stories." Makarov replied to her from the side. His suspicions were confirmed, though he was the only one that noticed.

_"So Tridantes has a student does he? How shocking...What are you gonna do Naruto? How do you plan on revealing to everyone your Dragonslayer status?" _The elder man thought to himself rhetorically, carefully eyeing the young blonde.

"Looks like we have another S-class..." Luxus whispered excitedly to himself.

"Oi, Luxus, Natsu, your next." Both fighters nodded and walked to the arena, equally excited.

* * *

_With Naruto, Infirmary._

"Hehe, _**Kage Eisha (Shadow Projection)**_ is coming along quite nicely... but it's still no match for Dad's _**Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God). **_His technique is still much faster than mine. Even when I'm at night." Naruto's shadow technique was originally intended to copy the Yellow Flash's signature move. In a sense, instead of using a seal as a medium, he used shadows for it. Though he did have a vast knowledge of seals, it was still no match compared to those of his parents. Seals needed more than just skill to learn, it required alot time and intelligence. Both of which the blonde didn't have earlier in his shinobi career.

Naruto chuckled at the irony of all this. His former sensei, Kakashi would have been proud at his own self-proclaimed "copy" ninjutsu.

_"I guess I really am Kakashi's student. Though I don't need a Sharingan unlike him and Sasuke. Doujutsu (Eye Techniques) are sooooo overrated haha... except the Rin'negan of course. Those eyes are like cheat codes."_

He looked down at his opponent and grinned, she wasn't too difficult but she was witty like the rumors had said. The blonde had not expected her to have such an eye technique in her arsenal but luckily he thwarted it without too much hassel. He felt a little guilty, she was fighting her natural enemy. In reality, no one in the guild could beat him at night. He was nigh invincible when fighting with the darkness at his complete disposal. The only ones that could beat him here and now are Makarov or Gildartz and maybe Luxus if the blonde got careless which was probably not gonna happen.

"Sorry Ms. Evergreen but I have faced much stronger eye techniques. Two of which had the power to take over the world and one that nearly succeeded." He said quietly, ridding the horrible memories of the Mangekyou Sharingan and the terror it brought to his world.

He was about to leave, but that was before multitudes of shadows caught his senses. The silhouette reminded him of ANBU chasing down it's prey to a corner. Shaking off the shiver that entered him, he decided on a plan of action. Naruto wasn't sure of what it was but if it gave him a bad feeling, then he'd act upon it.

_**"Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone)." **_Without having to even form a seal, he summoned 3 clones to chase after the figures.

"Hm." Grunting, he walked off to inform his boss of the uninvited guests.

* * *

_?_

_**"Your student is quite skilled, Tridantes." **_Spoke a might voice from above, the dragons were having there first official meeting since a millenia ago. They would often travel the world in secret to fulfill many different deeds but once Tridantes announced his return, everyone decided to show up.

_**"HAHAHA, he hasn't shown anything yet!" **_Exclaimed the Dragon of the West, whom was gloating every second about his pupil. Naruto had grown to such heights that most dragons in this room would fear him. The lower tier dragons made a mental note to stay away from Tridante's prized pupil at all cost, not wanting to invoke his wrath.

_**"Hmph, while your student is powerful, mine has far more potential."**_ Tridantes looked to his right and saw a being that sent shivers up the spines of nearly every self-respecting fire mage. Igneel, the fire Dragon and brother to the King of Dragons himself.

_**"Potential, potential, potential! You fools only look at what something could be!"**_ Tridantes roared with fury, scaring the wits out of the lower ranked dragonkins.

_**"What matters is the here and now! You look at the future and speak as if it is set in stone! My student has defied this and found his way to the top. You think that potential alone will defeat my student?" **_The Dragon of the West said as if it were a command, his magical powers rising to the top of his restraint.

_**"You were always a passionate one, yes, the potential of my student goes beyond yours by leaps and bounds! That is why I believe my student will become stronger!" **_Igneel roared back, black flames suddenly arising from his claws. Tridantes laughed hysterically, confusing everyone in the vicinity.

_**"You think potential holds my student back?" **_Tridantes asked outloud, laughing even harder when Igneel nodded with a look of confidence on his face.

_**"THEN YOU ARE WRONG! THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A LIMIT ON STRENGTH! Strength is not counted by something trivial like mere skill or potential!" **_The Dragon was about to continue until a powerful aura crept it's way towards him. Turning his head, the dragon of the west came face to face with a being that even he didn't expect.

_**"ZAHAHA, must you always make a scene everytime to come here? Especially on something so stupid." **_Tridantes smirked. The dragon behind him was the sole reason Zerief didn't attack the land of Dragonkins. He was a dark shade of Gray with wings that spread as far as small lakes. His eyes were nearly pitch black with no pupils whatsoever and the being also wore a gemstone on the top of it's forehead.

_**"Well, well, if it isn't the Dragon of the Moon himself. When did you wake up? Aphelion."**_

_**"After I heard a ruckus about the "Great" Tridantes returning, I couldn't help myself. Don't want my brother to returned unwelcomed now."**_ Aphelion said with blatant sarcasm.

_**"Yes of course..." **_Tridantes growled back.

_**"Now, now. Let's see this boy in action. I want to see just how powerful this human is, seeing as he sees it fit to take your name." **_The Dragon of the west smirked widely.

_**"He might just achieve it, my title that is... After all, not just anyone can call themselves "The Dragon of the West'."**_

* * *

_Stadium_

"That's the gist of it." Makarov nodded and waved his hands indicating that he would take care of it. Naruto had told him of the situation and asked him to prepare for it accordingly. The master, not knowing what exactly the problem was suggested a "wait and see" approach.

"Let's just see for now. Besides, this is supposed to be a fun little event. Don't worry too much my boy." Naruto nodded and returned to the sidelines where the rest of his fellow mages were.

All eyes were on him like a fly to a light. The fight had made them all more aware of his magical level as he didn't bother hiding his strength any longer. The blonde seemed more...powerful than before. Though it was quite a shock to Natsu, Gray and Bixlow because they had not expected him to be any where near as strong as he showed. The S-class mages on the other hand knew better due to there superior insight.

"Good job, didn't take you to be a shadows guy though." Mira said with amusement laced in her voice. Naruto chuckled at the remark as he knew many would agree with her.

"Maah, I'll take that as a compliment. I didn't mean to use those techniques yet but I wanted to save my energy."

"That's a good idea because Luxus won't have too much trouble with Natsu." Fried said from his side, pointing at the two whom were fighting.

Naruto kept a close eye on his fellow dragonslayer, eager to see his techniques. Naruto had never met any other Dragonslayer before seeing as he's only been in this world for only a few years.

_"Show me your power, student of Igneel." _

_

* * *

_

_Stadium ground_

_**"Karyuu no Tekken (Fire Dragon's Iron Fist)." **_Natsu yelled as he charged the older blonde with vigour. Luxus sighed at him and clapped his hands together whilst charging his magical energy.

_**"Hekireki (Thunderclap)!" **_A powerful, lightning infused shell branched out and shocked the rosy teen, knocking him back to where he once stood. Luxus shook his head in disappointment.

"Natsu, Natsu, Natsu...always so predictable. C'mon, show me something new!" He roared and shot a wisp of lightning at him. Dodging the attack by a mere centimeter, he drew his breathe in and prepared his signature attack.

* * *

_Sidelines_

"Could this be?" Naruto said to himself as he observed the younger child. Of course, being a fellow Dragonslayer, he knew what the next attack would be.

* * *

_Stadium ground_

_**"Karyuu no Hoko!**_ _**(Fire Dragon's Roar)." **_An unearthly amount of fire breathed from his mouth and launched itself at Luxus as mediocre speed. The elder teen smirked and jumped cleanly out of the way.

"Not bad, but it's not good enough." He punched the ground and out erupted streaks of lightnings.

_**"Raihamon! (Lightning Ripple)." **_The attack struck Natsu head on and dealt sever damage to him. Falling to the ground in a heap, Natsu blacked out.

"Winner: Luxus Dreyher!" Makarov nodded and signaled someone to bring Natsu to the infirmary.

* * *

_Sidelines _

Naruto couldn't help but feel a stinge of disappointment hit him after witnessing the fight's abrupt ending. He had expected the young teen's roar to be a bit more effective but apparently that wasn't the case as it was slow and easily avoidable.

_"He does have potential though... but that won't be enough to defeat a real life dragon... Maybe I'll train him up a bit after this." _He thought to himself, finding the idea to be a bit appealing.

"Like always!" Gray laughed from besides him, though he couldn't help but feel sorry for his rival. Luxus was one of the best mages in the guild and it was obvious that he didn't stand a chance.

"Maah, he wasn't terrible." Naruto stated, defending his fellow dragonslayer.

"I agree, in a few years, Natsu will be much better. But right now, Luxus has every advantage over him." Erza told them apathetically, though if one were to look closely, she was actually studying the blonde from the corner of her eye. Sighing, she stepped up walked up to the stadium grounds with a silent glint in her eyes.

"My turn."

...

...

_**Next Chapter: The Titania Descends!**_

* * *

_End._

Well it wasn't my best piece of writing but it'll have to do.

Naruto's technique. This move was used in the prior chapter if you hadn't noticed. When he saved Lucky...

**xxx**

_**Kage Eisha (Shadow Projection)**_

_**Rank: C-S class**_

_**Description: This technique is Naruto's parody of "Hiraishin". Though, he can only use it to it's full power at night. Even then, the speed of this move is still inferior compared to the Hiraishin.**_

_**Users: Naruto, Tridantes, Aphelion.**_

_**xxx**_

Thank you all for reading. I've been having a bit of WB lately so thanks for your patience.

_~Sniper Artist_


	8. Waking a Sleeping Dragon

_**The Dragon of the West**_

_A Fanfiction by: Sniper Artist_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Fairy Tail. I am only using their respective characters for a fanfiction._

_Summary: Upon his tearful death, Naruto meets a dragon. Given a second chance to live, he is sent to Fiore or more specifically Magnolia. Pre-canon Fairy Tail. Naruto X Fairy tail_

* * *

_Stadium_

Walking down to the stadium with elegance only present within queens themselves, the _**"Titania" **_Erza Scarlet watched as all eyes came on her. She was beyond famous in Magnolia and was often the role model for all young, aspiring sorceresses. Her magic was beautiful to many and a nightmare to others. Her hair wisped around like leaves during a spring breeze, as her eyes focused on one single goal.

Victory.

"Ready Bixlow?" Her opponent, Bixlow of the Raijinshuu, nodded and smirked arrogantly at her. The looked ticked her off a bit but she let it go, opting to crush his skull to the ground rather than saying anything. She was a woman of action, her skills mightier than most men.

"Yeah! Get ready to eat the dust, girly! You got no chance today!" Gasps were heard from the crowd and many glares from the local sorceresses targeted the masked man. Bixlow swallowed nervously, not from the glares from the others but rather from the person in front of him. Erza's eyes darkened considerably and she subconsciously produced a wild amount of killer intent, freaking out most of the competitors excluding Naruto, Luxus and Gildartz. Those three just shook their heads inwardly while thinking the same thing.

_"What a stupid thing to say in front of her..."_

"So you think that because I am a woman, that I will lose just like that?" She said with a sickening demeanor. Bixlow shivered under her gaze.

"N-no, I didn't mean it like that!" Before he could finish, she charged him with speed that surpassed most jounin.

_**"Exquip: Gungnir!"(1)**_ She exclaimed as she ran towards she ran a spear that radiated nothing but power, poofed into her hand seemingly our of no where. The pole was dark blue with a snake design that seemed to go all the way to the top. The blade was beautifully designed, the color was pitch black and had a silver lining that seemed to go from the mouth of the pole to it's tip.

Bixlow, whom was shocked by the speed of her approach, quickly summoned his puppets to defend him. He had them shoot lasers at her from all directions in an attempt to slow her down, but failed as Erza closed the distance between them without breaking a sweat. The fiery sorceress, who's eyes were blazing like a demon, wielded the spear and fired bullet speed lunges against the man without a hint of mercy on her face.

_**"Zantetsuken! (Iron Cutting Blade)" **_Erza pierced his armor without much trouble, causing the masked man to scream in pain. Hitting him in multiple places, including the more sensitive areas. Erza watched in delight as he began to roll on the ground begging for mercy.

Makarov shivered as he glanced at the young woman's sadistic grin and raised his hands, signaling the end of the match.

"Winner: Erza Scarlet!" The crowd erupted in cheers for the young mage, only the men felt pity for the men that just got violated in several places.

* * *

_Sidelines_

All the men whom were watching the match had pale faces. Some of them even praying to Kami to forgive his foolishness (Naruto), some were planning on giving him a well deserved vacation (Luxus), some were just looking at him with pure pity and amusement (Gildartz) and some that just looked terrified (Gray).

Noticing all the looks, Mira laughed without any hint of pity towards the masked man.

"That was entertaining to watch." She spoke with laced amusement and foreboding, satisfied when she saw the shivers that ran down their spines.

"Yeah...for you, scary chick." Naruto mumbled, still pale from the attack.

"Did you say something?" Mira said darkly facing Naruto, whom shook his head with rapid speed. Narrowing her eyes, she started to approach him with a scent of killer intent behind her causing Naruto to sweat comically at the sight.

"S-so, Mira-chan it seems your up next!" Gildartz quickly exclaimed, earning a grateful look from the younger blonde next to him.

"Oh yeah!" And like that, she forgot about Naruto and jumped down to the stadium waiting for her match to start.

"T-thanks man..." He said in relief. Gildartz patted him on the back.

"No problem kid, no problem."

Neither noticed Gray walking down with a frightened look on his poor, poor 14 year old frame.

* * *

_Stadium Ground_

"Gray vs. Mirajane...Begin!" Makarov said, raising his hands to signal the start of the match. Gray looked at her with so much fear the the woman herself could feel it. She smirked and gave him a glare, packed with malicious killer intent. He sweated coldly and subconsciously thought back to the times of when he was still with his master. On how to be one with nature and her multiple lessons on dealing with fear.

_"Face it head on!" _He heard his master, Ur yell at him mentally.

_"Fear is not a weakness, it's a detector. Use it!" _She had said to him the week before Deliora attacked. He didn't listen to her at the time and it cost him the best master in the world. He looked at the woman in front of him and felt the weight of the world falling on him. She was powerful but not invincible. He stared back, courage returning to his frame.

Mira smirked at the younger boy.

"Not bad Gray. Now, let's get this party started!" She rushed him at high speeds in an attempt to bring the fight to close range. Not willing to let that happen, he quickly placed his fisted hands into his palms.

_**"Ice Make: Ramparts!" **_Spiked ice sculptures suddenly erupted from the grounds, stopping Mira in her tracks. Unfazed by the development, she quickly gathered a ton of magical energy of her own.

_**"Devil's right hand!" **_Her right hand suddenly transformed into a devil like feature, freaking out many people whom were new to the sight. Grinning darkly, she punched straight through Gray's wall and proceeded to rush towards the boy again.

He was prepared as he settled into another stance.

_**"Ice Make: Shuriken!" **_Forming numerous stars in his hands, he shot all of them towards the trapped sorceress.

She smirked and used her transformed arm to swat them all away without any hassle, surprising Gray easily.

"Demon skin is only second to Dragon skin y'know." She said smugly, making Gray switch attack tactics.

"Doesn't matter! I'll just freeze ya." Gathering his magic, he focused on the broken ice and reformed it back to his likings. Mira was suddenly aware of the ice surrounding her again and raised her brow.

_**"Ice Make: Prison!" **_The ice at Gray's disposal formed into an intricate four sided cage that looked as if it were carved in every direction. Dropping to his knees, Gray let out a self-satisfied grin at his masterpiece. It was his most powerful trap technique, nothing short of a monster could destroy that thing.

* * *

_Sidelines_

"That kid is really good." Naruto commented, looking at the ice surrounding the battlefield in awe. The last time he fought a true ice user was Haku, the man that taught him the true path of a shinobi. Whilst Gray's techniques were flashy and powerful, Haku had more finesse and efficiency. Nonetheless, the blonde was very impressed by the boy's talent.

"Indeed." Gildartz agreed, also a bit surprised by his wit in battle.

"Gray has always been talented. His master, Ur, was named as one of the Ten Saints after she passed away fighting the Devil Deliora." Erza said, catching Naruto's interest. He knew of Ur's legendary final battle from his master but he didn't know of her student.

"Wow, I didn't know she had a pupil." Erza agreed, having felt the same way when she found out from the boy himself.

"Yeah, he's good but no where near his master yet. Look, the fight ain't over yet." Luxus commented. They looked and saw water gathering in Mira's hands, seemingly out of no where. Naruto's eyes widened at the sight.

_"I-Impossible! T-that's just like the Nidaime!" _He thought with shock, having heard that it was rare for someone to draw raw hydrogen atoms from the atmosphere. Never in his life did he think he'd meet anyone who'd be able to do the same.

* * *

_Back to the fight_

"You've done good Gray." She said out loud making Gray become confused at her tone. It was calmer and more sinister then before. He looked at her and was frightened when she seemed to be in her half transformed state. The entire right side of her body was sporting numerous markings that seemed to just fit with the skin change.

**"But this is the end..."** Her voice changed entirely, scaring the younger boy considerably.

_**"Mizu Parusu (Water Pulse)" **_Condensing the water in her hands to the point of it being a cannon, she shot it at high speeds towards the cage, breaking it to pieces and hit Gray head on and knocked him back to the wall. The younger boy dropped to the floor, out like a light.

Returning back into her regular form, she walked up to Gray and brought him to the infirmary out of mere respect.

"Not bad at all kid." Clapping at the sportsmanship shown by the woman, the standing ovation was massive as they had not expected such a good fight. No one expected Gray to put up the fight at all.

"Winner: Mirajane!"

* * *

_Sidelines_

Everyone looked at Gray with as much respect as they would give for the fight he put up. What can they say, the boy had put up a valiant effort but Mira was just on a different level. She hadn't really gone all out but at least some effort was put into the fight.

Out of nowhere, Naruto began chuckling.

"What's so funny?" Erza asked him, making the eyes of the rest look at him.

"Those two are definitely rivals. Natsu and Gray. Fire and ice. Brawns and brains. So cliche!" He spoke as if from experience. It reminded him of his own rivalry with a certain duck haired idiot. Hopefully, it won't end up the same way, he thought to himself.

"Yeah, those little rascals just won't shut up at times though." Luxus sneered, but he did sound like he genuinely cared. A little.

The rest nodded and agreed with the two. Erza looked at Fried and smiled with sympathy.

"Try your best." Now was the match that every knew whom the victor would be.

* * *

_Stadium Ground_

"Fried vs. Gildartz. Begin!" There was no bets on this match due to no one having the guts to bet against the bearded veteran named Gildartz. Not even with Naruto's insane luck.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. Try your best Fried." The veteran said, putting his hands up in a way to assure the other man of his abilities. Fried on the other hand, shook his head.

"No, you are without a doubt going to win. But like you said, I will do my best." Gildartz sighed in relief, not wanting to hurt the other man's pride. No one knew of his terrible dilemma that was soundly beating everyone without hurting their feelings.

"Cool." He gave him a thumbs up that seemed a bit old fashioned. Fried nodded and immediately gathered magical energy around his hands and slammed it to the ground. Numerous letters/runes started forming from where his palms were, intriguing the crowd whom hadn't seen it before.

_"Those whom are within thy circle shan't be able to cast magic. Those whom are within thy circle and are over the years of 35 shall not be able to leave withing thy permission." _Fried chanted as if setting rules on the table. Gildartz looked on, fascinated by the man's magic and opted to just watch him do his thing.

* * *

_Sidelines_

Gildartz was not the only one that was interested by the enchantments. A circle was being formed through countless words and magical ink. It vaguely reminded Naruto of his own sealing techniques that he had often used against tougher opponents. It intrigued the sage to no end by the mere sight of it forming.

"What is that?" He asked, curiously. It was Luxus that responded.

"Enchantments. They are Fried's specialty, he can write any rules and set them on the ground. Anyone within the circle must, _must _follow it's rules or face punishment. Not even Gildartz can break them without consequence." He said making Naruto slightly raise his eyes with recognition.

"That's awesome!" Naruto replied, remembering it when he went through the guild registry. He silently cursed his master for not telling him of such a thing.

* * *

_Back to the battle_

Everyone looked as a complete circle surrounded both fighters. Many encoded words (runes) written on all sides, Gildartz whom already knew the secret to it's build just watched as Fried drew his sword.

"When you are in here, no magic will be cast. It may not be my best enchant but it'll have to do and I can't have you being impatient now." The long haired man charged the veteran mage with vigour. He launched numerous lunges and slashes but only to miss by an inch each time. Though he looked slow, Gildartz was still more experienced and could easily predict the movement of the sword.

The guild ace smiled as he watched the younger man try to beat him with his strategy.

_"He's preventing me from leaving and using magic. It's not a bad idea really..." _Having enough, he grabbed the sword with his bare hands and bent it without much effort. Fried widened his eyes and jumped back in alert.

"H-how?" He looked at his beloved rapier in shock. It was his favorite sword and it cost him a whole A-rank mission worth of pay.

"O-oh sorry, was that expensive? I'll pay for it..." Gildartz said, trying to defend himself with the mask of obliviousness. Fried knew better though and sighed.

"I thought this would work...But I guess I have no choice." He brought his palms to the ground and dispelled the barrier, returning both uses of their magic. Not wasting anytime, Fried immediately casted another spell.

"Canceled it huh?" Gildartz mused.

_**"Yami no Ecriture: Darkness! (Writing of Darkness: Darkness)" **_He exclaimed as numerous runes were written on his own body. Transforming his body into a demon with horns and a strong muscle build, he also grew white demonic hair and looked as he went through a Take over like Elfman.

"Hmm, you've gotten better..." Gildartz remarked, not even worried as Fried charged him. As the demon-entranced Fried approached, the Fairy Tail veteran nonchalantly crushed him aside with a mere hand flick. The demonic form receded and it seemed to all that Fried was instantly defeated.

They were right.

"Winner: Gildartz Crive!"

* * *

_Sidelines_

"Damn." Was all Naruto had to say about the fight. Not only was it completely dominating but it had shown nearly nothing of Gildartz's true powers. While he himself hadn't revealed his true Dragonslayer powers, it was still important to know of your opponents moves.

_"It reminds me of Pain's Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push). But the possibilities are all over the place." _He sighed in dismay.

"Well, looks like we got a ten minute break. I'm gonna go see Cana and Lucky." With that Naruto left, leaving the other S-classed mages to discuss among themselves. Once he was out of the vicinity, the Master walked in.

"So it's Naruto, Luxus, Erza, Mira and Gildartz huh?" Makarov said as he approached his best mages excluding the blonde jinchuuriki.

"Yeah, should be interesting this time around." Luxus said from where he stood, arms crossed.

"Definitely. Where's Naruto?" He asked, having seen the blonde leave just before he entered. Erza spoke up.

"He went to see his teammates, Cana and Lucky."

"Ah, I see. Anyways, how are you all feeling?" The mages all looked at one another and nodded, having no problems at all. Though the same couldn't be said for their opponents.

"We're fine and Naruto wasn't even sweating. Why do you ask?" The old man smiled.

"Just wanted this match to be a good one, I guess. Crowd's going crazy as you can see." He pointed to the stands, everyone's eyes followed. Only to sweat drop when they saw Naruto struggle to get away from his newly made fangirls. They were hounding him like a dog and it's bone, completely obsessed. Gildartz chuckled.

"Well, after the show he put up. It's not too surprising!" He smiled, making everyone nod. The blonde was an excellent crowd pleaser indeed.

"He's strong...I wouldn't be surprised if he was a Dragonslayer. He acts like one." Luxus suddenly said without thinking, making Makarov widen his eyes by a fraction.

"What do you mean by "He acts like one?'. I mean, sure he's a bit loud like Natsu but he sure as hell ain't headstrong and bashful." Luxus shook his head at her statement.

"His little tipsy act. It kinda reminds me of a sleeping dragon that's ready to pounce on anything that threatens him. He's dangerous to approach if his magic was any indication." Gildartz chuckled at Luxus's declaration.

"I don't think it was an act." That brought a few laughs but they all knew it was true.

"But yeah, Luxus is right. He's difficult to approach in battle. You'd need an attack that gets around his shadows and not to mention he's very quick with his shadow manipulation." Erza nodded in agreement.

"It seems like fighting him one on one will only be foolish. He's hiding something and it's big." Everyone nodded except Mira who looked at her rival with interest.

"Are you saying that you can't beat him without help?" She spoke, eyeing the red haired girl.

"Indeed, he seems very powerful. He's definitely on the mid to high tier of S-rank like Luxus." Said man smirked.

"Nah, that might be pushing it a bit. I mean c'mon, he took at least 4 minutes to beat Evergreen herself." He replied making Erza shake her head in the negative.

"No, he wasn't even trying. His magical power didn't even lower and it seemed as if he just wanted to put up a show." Mira nodded, having felt the same.

"He's definitely no punk. Cana told me that he finished A-ranks without breaking a sweat. Also remember the hints he's been giving about his power. Winds? Shadows? He fights like that Dragon from the old myths." She said, sending shivers of excitement down their spines.

"Indeed, it's a very old story. The "Dragon of the West', Tridantes would descend from the sky and skewer anything that would trespass on his home. He would use his majestic wings to create numerous hurricanes and use shadows to sow seeds of destruction within the enemy ranks." Makarov added to put in the scare only to fail as Luxus started laughing.

"Aren't those just little ghost stories?" To his surprise, the elder man shook his head.

"I assure you, they are very real." Silence reigned in the air, a sign that they were all in deep thought. Makarov grinned inwardly.

"I-I see... well, breaks over it seems." The blonde said, still a bit shaken by the development.

"Well, what do you know. You're right, we were talking for a while." Makarov mused as he checked his wrist watch. Ten minutes had indeed passed.

"Get your butts down there and put up a show!"

* * *

_Ten minutes before, with Naruto_

A sigh of relief could be heard if one were to look closely at Naruto's position. He had just avoided his new fangirls by a mere second using Jiraiya's famous transparency technique. The blonde was now praying to the old hermit with all his gratitude. Saying things like "I hope you got the harem you wanted' and "I hope Tsunade Baa-chan stops hitting you'. Said hermit was currently envious of his former student's luck from where he was watching in heaven.

_"They're gone!...now where are Cana and Lucky..."_ His eyes combed the crowd carefully. Spotting the brunette near the top sitting next to a certain violet haired woman. He sneakily crept up from behind them, telling the other guild members to hush on the way, a grin adjourning his features.

"BOO!" A shriek could be heard from where they sat, Cana and Lucky turned around and saw Naruto cracking up at their foolishness. Gaining a tick, she proceeded to slam his face to her elbows which elicited laughter from the locals.

"Dammit! Don't do that in public." Cana mock glared him, making Lucky giggle from the side.

"Sorry hehe, it was my inner prankster." He grinned sheepishly, "So...enjoying the show?" The sudden glare turned into one of a grin. Nodding, she proceeded to lightly punch him on the shoulders.

"Yeah! Evergreen didn't look to well after the fight though. Why didn't you go all out?" Naruto shrugged and answered halfheartedly.

"Dunno, didn't feel the need to. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you never go all out. I wanna see my drinking buddy's full strength y'know." Naruto chuckled at the comment.

"And you never seem to fight seriously at all during missions. You just seem bored most of the time." Lucky added. Naruto sighed, it was true. He just didn't seem to enjoy fighting weak opponents.

"Well, it won't be a problem now...I'm in a match with all the S-classed fighters in the guild. They look tough, especially Gildartz. Dude didn't break a sweat fighting that Fried guy."

"Don't get your hopes up Naruto. You're strong, very strong but Gildartz is on a level of his own. Even the master would have a hard time beating him at full power. The man became the ace of the guild when he single-handedly discarded five S-class criminals at once. Five very notorious, very powerful villains and all of whom were leaders of famous Dark guilds." Naruto could only nod, it wasn't too hard to believe that in his opinion.

_"With the amount of raw power that surrounds him, it's not too surprising. The man's like a walking beacon of pure power to my senses. Need I mention that he seems to have perfect control over it all? Jeez. I wish I had that kind of control when I was a kid." _He thought to himself.

"Don't worry too much about me hehe, I have a plan!" His teammates looked at him curiously.

"And what's that?" They asked simultaneously.

"Well, I figure that Luxus, Mira and Erza are all more interested in fighting Gildartz so I'll just let them wear him out first. Then I'll jump in and kick butt!" He said, whilst thinking of something else as an after though.

_"That or I hope that he pulls a Shikamaru and gives up..."_

"Haha good luck with that. They aren't S-classed because they're just strong y'know. They'll figure out your plot." Cana replied laughing.

"Maah, we'll see. Well, looks like it's time." Naruto said when he saw everyone returning to the field. He nodded to his teammates, both wishing him the best of luck.

* * *

_Grounds_

"Need I explain the rules?" They all shook their heads in the negative.

"Then best of luck to you all." He said eyeing the younger members in particular. Facing the crowd, he used a magic to super enhance his voice to project his voice.

"Ladies and gentleman, this is the final match! A five sided super battle elimination match!" He aimed his hands at the resident blonde teen.

"We have our competitors! On one corner we have the _**Dragon of the West**_, Uzumaki Naruto!" Thundering applauds could be heard, most of which were from his fangirls. A lot of squeals and marriage proposals could be heard in the air, embarrassing the resident blonde.

"On another corner stands our very own Luxus Dreyher! The S-classed magician!" More applauds were heard bringing a smirk to his face.

"And here we have Erza the _**Titania**_!" This time, there were marriage proposal from guys that could be heard in the air. There was also some from the women too...surprisingly.

"Mirajane the _**Devil!" **_The stadium started stomping their feet to intensify the excitement in the air.

"And we have our one and only Gildartz!" And with that, everyone got to their feet and started screaming for the competitors to start, growing impatient.

"And now..." Makarov drew out the statement a bit longer, making the crowd grow even more impatient. Waiting for the right time, the tension cut as he brought his hands down to signal the start.

"Begin!"

* * *

_Fight!_

Closing his eyes, Naruto smirked when he noticed every other person approach Gildartz rather than himself. So he thought anyways. The footsteps were growing increasingly louder and before he knew it, Erza jumped him from afar as Luxus shot a lightning bolt at him. Naruto had to dodge the attacks quickly as they were quick and efficient. Breaking out of his stupor, he grew a tick mark and kicked Erza back so he could get some space. She flew back towards the wall, shocking everyone by the sheer velocity of Naruto's attack.

"WHAT THE HELL! YALL WERE SUPPOSE TO ATTACK GILDARTZ!" He yelled, completely out of character. Tayuya, whom listened in on his plan snickered at him. The red headed woman got back up and looked at him, wincing at the slight pain she was in.

"What makes you say that?" Erza and Luxus said at the same time.

"Well, you guys were soooooo excited about fighting Gildartz. Now you're attacking me? Hypocrites! All of you." He pointed out like a monkey, making his teammates in the crowd chuckle.

"Well...there was a little theory we came up back during the break." Erza started, narrowing her eyes at him.

"And well...we agreed to satisfy out curiosity before fighting the big man." Luxus finished, smirking as he saw Mira approach from behind him.

"Ahh, so is it true?" She asked him. Naruto grew confused, not knowing what they were talking about.

"What?"

"That you're a Dragonslayer?"

* * *

_Infirmary, Few minutes prior._

"C'mon Gray! I wanna watch the last match!" Yelling was heard from the infirmary. A certain rosy haired dragonslayer had just awoken from his fight and smacked Gray out of his dream.

"W-where am I?" He said, rubbing his eyes.

"In the infirmary. THAT MEANS YOU LOST! HAHAHAHAHA!" Gray grew a tick mark on his head and smack the rosy haired teen upside the head.

"IF YOU'RE IN HERE THEN THAT MEANS YOU LOST TOO YA IDIOT!" He screamed back, not noticing the killer intent from behind both of them.

"WILL YOU BOTH SHUT UP, I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!" This time it was Evergreen that screamed at them. Satisfied by their silence, she proceeded to plop back into bed and rest peacefully.

"Crazy lady..." Gray mumbled, eliciting a chuckle from beside him. The raven haired boy tilted his head and saw another member of the Raijinshuu, Fried smiling down at him.

"Don't mind her Gray, she is still upset over her defeat."

"SHUT UP!"

"Anyways, let's go watch. It should be getting started anytime now..." Natsu and Gray nodded and followed the limping mage out of the room.

"Are you ok?" They asked as they walked down the hall.

"Don't mind me. I'm blessed to even be able to walk after fighting Gildartz." They nodded in agreement.

"So who's in the finals?" Natsu asked innocently, making Fried go into thought temporarily.

"Naruto, Luxus, Erza, Mirajane and Gildartz." He said as they approached the exit. They saw Luxus, Mira and Erza approaching Naruto like predator on prey.

"So is it true?" They heard Mirajane say with a curiosity laced in her voice.

"What?" Replied the blonde.

"That you're a Dragonslayer?" Eyes widened across the stadium with Natsu as the widest. Naruto looked at her than at Makarov. Seeing his expression, Naruto could only sigh in resignation. So that cat's out of the bag, he thought.

"What makes you say that?" Erza shook her head.

"Your nickname and the way you act. Your powers as well. It all points to one thing..." Mira stated with the other two agreeing.

"Is that so..." He smiled and closed his eyes. Only to reopen them as it changed from vibrant blue to pitch black with red slits like his master, surprising most of the crowd.

"W-what..." Natsu said from his position, confused to the situation. They had just accused someone of being like him.

_**"Why don't I just show you? Hm." **_He said sinisterly, sucking his breath in a similiar manor to Natsu earlier. Alarms went off in all their heads as they saw so and without wasting a second jumped out of the way right before the newly found out Dragonslayer unleashed a rip-roaring amount of power from his mouth.

_**"Yoryuu no Hoko! (Night Dragon's Howl)"**_

_**..**_

_**..**_

_**Next Chapter: Dark Dance!**_

* * *

End

Well, hope I didn't disappoint you all. The next chapter will indeed be the true premiere of Uzumaki Naruto, the Dragonslayer.

From the prior chapter, Aphelion is actually a character from a video game. And he is infact a dragon, so feel free to guess.

**_-X-_**

_**(1) Gungnir: The spear of Odin. It's a reference. **_

_**Zantetsuken (Iron Cutting Blade): Odin's summoning attack. Known to all Final Fantasy fans, this is a technique that misses almost 85 percent of the time in the freakin game. But if you are somehow lucky enough to get it to hit, the attack will deal a guaranteed one kit KO. **_

_**So I gave it to Erza because it's so badass.**_

_**-X-  
**_

I got a bit impatient so I released this one so don't expect much from a week on. It's gonna take me a while to read and review my writing over and over. I also have alot of work to do at home.

Thanks for reading and if it's not too much trouble (and it's not) review.

_~Sniper Artist_


	9. Danza Oscuro!

_**The Dragon of the West**_

_A Fanfiction by: Sniper Artist_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Fairy Tail. I am only using their respective characters for a fanfiction._

_Summary: Upon his tearful death, Naruto meets a dragon. Given a second chance to live, he is sent to Fiore or more specifically Magnolia. Pre-canon Fairy Tail. Naruto X Fairy tail_

* * *

_Stadium Ground_

Power.

Pure, sadistic, unrivaled power is known to be the bane of existence to many but an excellent ally to more. It's not something that can be taken but rather accumulated over a long period of time and hard work. True power is far more valuable then just life, it requires commitment and unrivaled determination. Those who dare tame such a thing are to attain the status of legendary. Why? Because those who keep power uncorrupted can only be called one thing.

Legendary...

Is the perfect word to describe the teenager in front of them.

"I can't believe it..." Erza mumbled as she stood back up to her feet, waiting for the dust to clear from her eyes. The sheer amount of raw magical power in his attack nearly sent them all packing early. She opened her eyes and took a good look at the result of the attack and was surprised when she saw right in the middle of the stadium, a wide crater that seemed to go down a few feet.

"Incredible..." She stared in awe along with the rest of the crowd.

* * *

_The Fight_

"Maaah...maybe I over did it..." A certain blonde mumbled to himself as he saw the destruction his technique brought, eyes returning to vibrant blue. He wasn't surprised since he put approximately 1/10 of his magical power into that one attack and condensed it a bit. If he had condensed it harder, it might have been lethal and he did not want that.

"Not bad..." The blonde heard Gildartz muse from the other side of the crater. The veteran seemed unfazed by the attack but was still impressed nonetheless. He hadn't move from his spot and looked as if he were untouched by the dust.

"So how bout it?" Naruto spoke aloud, directly challenging the Fairy Tail ace. Said man chuckled and shook his head in the negative, confusing the blonde teen.

"I would love nothing more to fight you Naruto-san. But Luxus over there wouldn't appreciate it much..." As if right on schedule, a bolt of lightning shot towards the young sage at high speeds, alerting everyone by the sudden sound wave. Sighing, Naruto formed three quick one handed seals and placed his palms in the direction of the bolt.

_**"Fuuton: Shinku Kyuushuu (Vacuum Suction)" **_The air within Naruto's palm quickly transformed into a spiraling shaped form. As soon as the lightning hit, it was immediately absorbed into the small wind spiral then eventually disintegrated.

"Interesting, that almost caught me off guard. Almost." Naruto spoke with laced amusement. Luxus appeared from behind the dust with a look of pure excitement on his face, probably due to the fact the other blonde had nearly destroyed the area with a single attack.

"Zehehe, I'm gonna crush you!" Smashing his palms together, a sudden surge of electricity erupted from his magical rune.

_**"Rakurai! (Thunderbolt)"**_ Luxus exclaimed, shooting multiple branches of lighting at the resident jinchuuriki without a hint of mercy. Shaking is head, Naruto commanded his shadows to shield him from all sides.

_**"Kage Eisha (Shadow Projection)" **_Absorbing the attack like what he did with Evergreen, the younger blonde promptly redirected it back at Luxus using the shadows from behind him. But instead of screaming in pain like Naruto expected, he stood there unmoving with a smile on his face.

"How odd, I thought a powerful attack like that would have you on your knees." The young sage mused aloud. Luxus chuckled in response, making Naruto raise his brows.

"C'mon man. It's my magic. Ya actually think that my own magic would hurt me? I'm not some squirt like Evergreen. My magic and I are one!" Nodding in understanding, he finally came to terms with the fact that he wouldn't be able to beat them all by himself. Or rather, in his base form.

"Hmm...wait, wait. Where's Mira and Erza?" Luxus grinned, pointing behind him. Erza and Mira both rushed at him with the same speed they showed before. Mira jumped and launched a roundhouse kick to his head while Erza swung her sword to his waist, slashing him multiple times. It all happened in a flash as Naruto dropped to his knees, gasping in pain.

"You're strong but awareness is important in a mage too." Luxus said smirking smugly as he saw the young sage breathe on the floor.

"Maah, be careful Luxus. That's not him." Gildartz pointed out neutrally. The smirk was wiped from the blonde's face as it scrunched into confusion.

"What do you mean? He's right there." The teen pointed out the still gasping Naruto. Gildartz chuckled and cast his eyes at Naruto's shadow, which was suddenly convulsing rapidly. Luxus's eyes widened and jumped back just in time to avoid the sudden explosion from where Naruto was at.

"What the hell?" Exclaimed the three mages excluding Gildartz, whom was grinning at the younger man's little scheme.

The dust cleared and it revealed non other than a fully recovered Naruto. Erza, Mira and Luxus watched in awe as he seemed unfazed by all that had just happened. There was also a slight difference in his facial features as well. His eyes again.

First it was blue, then it was black with red slits and now it has an orange outline with pure orange eyes that closely resemble those of a toad.

_**"Sennin Modo! (Sage Mode)"**_

* * *

_Sidelines_

Natsu, Gray and Fried all moved down to the sidelines as soon as the dust cleared from Naruto's prior roaring attack. They had wanted to get a first row seat to probably one of the most incredible matches in the history of the Mage Mash itself. As they got down their though, it was apparent that they weren't the only ones interested in the fight. Nearly the entire guild had come down from the stands (_excluding Mistgun_) to watch the battle up close. After all, it wasn't everyday that a black horse suddenly comes out of no where and starts fighting their S-classed mages on equal terms.

"Old man, Lisanna!" Natsu exclaimed as he saw his boss and close friend. Lisanna and Natsu were actually closer than most (_meaning Naruto_) realized as they had hatched Happy from an egg many years ago when they were still children. So that actually made them his parents...good thing they don't have to explain that to Naruto because he'd probably take it the wrong way.

"Natsu! How are you? Are you ok? You shouldn't have done that! Luxus isn't some wild animal y'know. He'll counter attack you!" Suddenly flustered by her barrage of questions and criticism, he was left confused as to what to say. Much to the amusement of everyone around, she started to check his temperature, asking him if he was dizzy and stuff like that.

"Ahahaha, I think that's quite enough Lisanna-chan." Makarov said chuckling from the side, watching the fight that was going down with a close eye. It was very weird for him to watch since everyone had been focusing on Naruto rather than Gildartz but the entertainment was still there.

"Master, about Naruto's..." Fried started, not really knowing how to start the conversation. He was really interested about his powers due to the confession a while ago. The "confession' being a powerful, magical enhanced roar that created a huge crater in the stadium ground.

"Yeah, I don't really know much about his powers as a whole but I know his teacher." Everyone's interest perked at that mention, obviously wanting to know the name of the Dragon that taught him. Natsu's master and currently missing surrogate father, Igneel, had taught him many things including letters and cultures. Not to mention Butt-kicking dragonslayer moves.

"I'm sure some of you know the old bedtime ghost story. Tridantes of the West." Gasps arose from half the guild, some of them of understanding and amazement.

"Seriously?" Cana asked aloud making everyone look at her with weird eyes.

"You're his teammate. Why didn't you know?" Makarov deadpanned at her, making her huff with a blush adjourning her features.

"Every time I asked, he'd always say something like, "My, My, hehe that's my little secret Cana-chan!' then prance around to change the subject. And it would work every single time..." She admitted, hearing laughs from the background.

"Not to mention he never really tries too hard on missions. Sometimes, it feels like he's on auto-pilot or something." Lucky added from the back, also a bit embarrassed from her lack of knowledge of their teammates.

"Maah, you two should really try to get to know him better..." The elder man lectured, sounding a bit disappointed. Cana sighed at the comment.

"That's not the problem, he just doesn't like talking about himself for some reason. Who am I to pry?" She defended, eyes softening. She didn't want to mention Deliora because Gray was nearby, knowing him he would start getting depression by just mentioning the monster.

"Forgetting all that, how goes the fight?" Macao, another guild veteran spoke up in haste. Not wanting the seemingly fun conversation to go the wrong way. Satisfied when they happily forgot the prior tone.

"Naruto is stepping it up it seems. What's up his eyes though? It's like his base aura just changes in an instant when they change. Blue was his regular base form, black was his sinister form and now it's orange outlines? Weird..." Lisanna mentioned with her brother Elfman agreeing from the side. It had in fact, been obvious to them all being mages themselves. Despite that, they have yet to figure out just what it all means overall.

"Indeed, good observation Lisanna-chan!" Makarov ruffled her hair, making the young teen smile and blush.

"Master, what was up with the explosion a second ago? I wasn't really paying attention..." Gray mention quietly.

"No need to be ashamed my boy. Naruto's magic is very...tricky. As you can see, even my grandson was fooled. You see, he has the ability to command shadows and "jump' into them as well. I am assuming that there is a void world between our world and another... So you see, when we weren't looking, Naruto made a clone and jumped into it's shadow to rest after his roaring attack. The "Naruto' that was hit by Mira and Erza was actually a clone whilst he lay safe within it's shadow..." Noticing that nearly everyone was lost halfway through his explanation, he just stopped and sighed.

"It's better if you guys just watched." They all nodded and proceeded to do so.

* * *

_Back to the Fight_

Gildartz watched calmly from his spot as Naruto opened his orange, horizontally slitted eyes. The boy had amused him quite a bit seeing as he was always surprising people again and again. It was pretty entertaining to watch.

_"It's like watching a manga."_ He thought to himself with silent glee.

Naruto on the other hand, mentally patted himself on the back for his quick thinking. Going into the "Shadow world' as he dubbed it, he was able to quickly entered sage mode without too much hassle. Though it was quite a limited amount, it'd have to do. There wasn't a lot of natural energy in the other world after all.

_**"Why don't you ever use my chakra?..." **_He saw the fox pout mentally, looking seemingly innocent. Naruto could have laughed at that if the situation wasn't so important.

_"They're not using lethal attacks on me, why should I do the same?" _He countered, making the fox snort and recede back into it's cage to watch the show with what looked liked...popcorn? Naruto mentally sighed, the fox was getting more and more human even if he didn't realize it.

"Alright...let's get on with this!" He heard Luxus say as he charged, lightning infusing with his body similar to Natsu and his fire but Naruto was prepared.

Dodging the attack from Luxus, Naruto formed a small sphere like energy in his hands and slammed it into him.

_**"Rasengan! (Spiraling Sphere)" **_The attack sent Luxus flying back, forcing him to cease his attacks momentarily to rest.

Which was good because Erza and Mira were still behind him getting ready to pounce like a lion does to it's soon to be meal.

"Distract him, I'm going full form!" He heard Mira whisper to her. Erza nodded and closed her eyes in temporary concentration.

_**"Tenrin no Yoroi! (Heaven's Wheel Armor)"**_ Her usual Heart Kreuz wear was suddenly replaced by a white mail that seemed to have wings on the back. Behind her was a whole warehouse of swords that seemed to glare at him dangerously.

"That looks interesting..." Naruto replied dully, eyes half lidded.

"Dance my swords!" Raising her two main single handed swords in her hands, she commanded them to launch towards the blonde.

_**"Circle Swords!"**_

Smirking, Naruto brought his hands up towards the attack. A rune circle appeared right in front of his hands like a summoning circle.

_**"Yoryuu no Subeta: Falvern! (Night Dragon's Sword: Falvern!)" **_A shadowy like substance appeared in his hands and took form in to a short, double edged sword with a seemingly dark aura surrounding it as a whole.

Quickly swatting all of Erza's swords down, he charged her at break neck speeds without even sparing a second and broke through her signature armor with relative ease using his bare fist, forcing her to jump back.

"Darn it! How much longer Mira?" She asked quickly.

"15 more seconds." She grunted in response, gathering all of her magical power into her soul.

_"That's too long!" _Erza thought with worry as Naruto started approaching slowly, only to see him dodge a wisp of lightning from the side with a side step. Luxus jumped from behind and attacked him with a seemingly endless barrage of quick lightning attacks.

"Luxus is back." The red head sighed in relief while watching the other teen attack Naruto all full force.

"Alright, I'm ready!" Mira exclaimed, her magical powers suddenly jumping a whole notch. Crouching her knees, she put her arms in a "X' like formation. As soon as that started, visible energy was engulfing her in a black light.

_**"Satan Soul!"**_

* * *

_Sidelines_

"Sister is getting serious now..." Lisanna mumbled from the side, watching as her beloved older sibling take over her inner demon.

"Yup, I wonder if he can take it like a man..." Elfman said aloud, making Cana smack him upside the head.

"Now's not the time to start that crap. It's getting good!" She exclaimed as the fight escalated into the next level.

* * *

_Back to the Fight_

As the aura faded, it revealed Mira in a form that most could easily recognize as her "Devil' mode. Wings, a tail and a scar on her right eye showing off her demonic look.

**"Let's get this party started baby!"** Suddenly taking off to the sky, she started gathering from the atmosphere what looked like a enormous amount of water seemingly out of no where, holding it up to the skies to strike the blonde with.

"Maaah, why do I get a sense of deja vu here?..." Naruto mentioned, eying the incredible amount of water in the sky.

_**"Mizu Geitou! (Water Stunt)." **_Water filled the main stadium as Naruto jumped to get away from the torrent of magic. Sighing, he cleanly landing on the water surface with his good ol' shinobi skills and took a look around the area. The entire fighting ground was flooded with water, he looked around to see where the others were. Erza was balancing on her sword which was currently piercing into the arena wall. Luxus was hanging onto the stadium ledge, seemingly unharmed and Mirajane was flying.

Gildartz on the other hand, hadn't moved from his spot. Naruto winced carefully to take a good look at his position and widened his eyes.

_"How is he doing that? The water is just...avoiding him. Like he owns the entire area and it's just moving around him. Dammit, it really does resemble Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push) but there's a difference and I can't figure out what!" _Gildartz was indeed relaxing in what looked like his own personal bubble underwater, completely unfazed by the predicament.

"You can walk on water?" Mira asked from above, frowning.

"Yup, it's quite useful!" He replied. He casted a look to the side and saw that the fight was closing in on 10 minutes already. Not wanting to waste anymore time, he gathered what was left of his natural energy.

"Yo, I don't want to drag this fight any longer. Let's end this!" Dismissing his sword, he put his hands in the "rat' handseal. Suddenly the shadows behind him erupted from the ground and branched off towards Mira whom was in the sky.

_**"Yoryuu no Nui! (Night Dragon's Sewing)"**_

Surprised by the sudden proclamation and attack, she hastily dodged all the threads of shadows by mere inches. Maneuvering from left to right and up to down numerous times, she was suddenly frightened when Naruto grew a dark smirk on his face.

"I learned this from an old friend of mine... Now you're in my trap!"

Indeed, once she looked around all the moving she did was actually bringing her into the center of the attack. Now surrounded, she tried to unleash a demonic beam in hopes of destroying the webbing. It failed as the attack was suddenly absorbed into the void, allowing Naruto's attack to wrap her tightly. She couldn't budge.

"Damn!" She felt her energy leave her the more she struggled. Mira could only watch as her magical power was heavily drained.

"Don't forget about me!" Erza roared from the side, slamming a newly exquiped zweihandler down at him. Dodging the attack, Naruto let go of his shadows and allowed Mira to slowly fall into the mini lake she created, out cold.

"And then there was three. But man, for you guys to force this form to such an extent was beyond my expectations. I'm almost out of nature to use it seems." He spoke aloud.

"Well, you are definitely beyond most of us. Why did you hide your skills?" Erza asked aloud. Naruto shrugged.

"Dunno, never felt the need to show it." He said and before the fight could go on, the master stepped in.

"Mirajane is unable to continue. That is the end of part one of this match. Five minute intermission!" He announced making the crowd deflate from their anxiety. Luxus released a sigh of relief and jumped to the box where everyone else was.

"Already? I haven't even moved yet..." Gildartz mused as he slowly made his way to the sidelines, satisfied with having to do nothing yet.

* * *

_Sidelines_

"Whoo! Break time. I'm gettin some popcorn, anyone want some?" Macao asked as he was about to leave, nodding when he saw 4 others complied to him.

"Wow, I can't believe sister was beaten so easily." Lisanna marveled, Natsu agreeing with her from the side.

"Indeed. Even though she wasn't going all out, it seems the same goes for Naruto." Fried replied to her comment.

* * *

_With Naruto_

Letting his Sage mode recede, Naruto took a deep breathe and began gathering his thoughts. In only ten minutes, he was forced to use Sage mode and a few of his dragonslayer techniques. Rewinding the fight in his head, he started brainstorming a list of tactics to use like his friend Shikamaru would do.

_"Keh, Gildartz hasn't done anything yet. Luxus looked a bit winded and Erza's the same. What should I do? I can't fight Gildartz if my energy is too depleted. I can't use "it', that would be a bit overkill and if Tridantes ever found out I used it now, he'd never let me hear the end of it when we meet again. The demon cloak is out of question, don't wanna be unconscious after the fight. Hmm, I guess regular Dragonslayer moves will have to do for now. I haven't shown them much yet anyways. Well, guess it's time to let the inner monster out to play." _He thought to himself.

_**"You really mean it?" **_The Kyuubi exclaimed, pouting with no shame whatsoever.

_"No! I meant it figuratively." _Naruto mentally replied, chuckling when the fox snarled at him.

"OI!" Breaking out of his mental conversation, the blonde tilted his head and saw a flash of pink. _Natsu,_ he thought.

"Yo." He waved.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a dragonslayer?..." He said, unusually solemn. Naruto softened his eyes.

"Sorry kid, I had a few reasons. The thing is...I know that the Dragons disappeared but I don't know where. I didn't want to get your hopes up. And another reason was mainly because I wanted the upper hand in the tournament." The answer made Natsu nod, understanding his purpose. But he wasn't ready to give up quite yet.

"Erm, where was the last place you saw your Master? Maybe I could find a clue... I need to find Igneel!" Natsu told him, it was always his main purpose to find his surrogate father. Naruto looked in his eyes and saw a familiar frame. One of worry and the other of desperation. The blonde sighed. They were very similar when it came to solving problems.

"Alright, how about this? A week after this tournament, we'll go to the _Ruins of the Dark Night _and look around. I can't promise you anything but...if it can help you find your friend, then why not?" Satisfied, Natsu nodded. He was thankful to the older teen, being that finding leads were difficult for him since Dragons are considered myths.

"Thanks man and hey, you're awesome! I can't get my roar to get that strong yet!" The mood suddenly made a 180 and Natsu became his usual self.

"Yeah, thanks. Maybe I could help train ya, what do you think?" Natsu nodded rapidly, taking any chance he can to get stronger and woop Luxus's smug face.

"Cool!" Taking a look at the time, he began to notice Erza and Luxus walking back down to the arena.

"Well, it's time to go back in. I'll see ya later, Natsu."

* * *

_Fight grounds_

Returning to the field, the first thing Naruto noticed was the lack of water. No surprise since the last time he saw the place, it was filled like a lake. Noticing a big hole to the far right of him, he just figured that the master did it to get rid of the mini lake.

"The elimination match between Naruto, Erza, Luxus and Gildartz will be continuing. Are competitors ready?" They all nodded. Makarov complied and signaled the start of the match.

"GO!"

Without even a second to space, a wisp of lightning was heard shooting in an instant. Naruto was surprised that it wasn't aimed at him fortunately, looking again he saw that it was headed towards Gildartz...who's facial expression remained in a grin. Said man just eyed the bolt and casually waved it off, sending it to the sky.

"Awww...now I have to fight huh?" Gildartz mumbled as he chuckled.

"Well, my curiosity is filled. I don't feel like making the punk over there fight two on one." Luxus replied, smirking. Naruto wasn't angered by the development at all, in fact he welcomed it.

Said blonde turned to the side and saw Erza nod.

"You're fight is with me. Luxus wanted to fight Gildartz." The blonde sighed in relief and decided to take their fight separately.

Sprinting off to the other side of the arena, he saw Luxus nod appreciatively towards him.

"Now... it's finally time to show Magnolia...no, the world just who I am! I am Luxus Dreyher of Fairy Tail!" Determined to become the best, he clapped his hands together and mustered all his strength to fight the man he respects the most besides his own grandfather.

* * *

_With Naruto and Erza_

"Ready?" Naruto asked, looking at Erza with caution.

"Before we start, I want to ask you something." Curious as to what she wanted to say, he nodded.

"Just who are you?" Perplexed by the question, his face scrunched up in confusion. It was probably the oddest question to ask him, seeing as no one ever really bothered with that. The last person that had asked him that...was himself.

"What do you mean? I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Blonde, blue eyes, about 5'11 in height and over the top handsome." He joked.

"That's not what I meant. I wanted to know who you are. Home, hobbies and such." She continued apathetically, confusing Naruto even more by the nature of the question.

"Well I came from the west, a bit isolated. Hobbies? Er, I like training I guess. Oh and I like ramen." He added cheerfully. Erza nodded.

"I see, now was that so difficult?" He didn't understand what she was getting at.

"What?"

"Telling me about yourself. Was that so difficult?" Realization dawned upon him.

"Are you upset that I didn't tell you about my powers. I just wanted it to be a surprise..." The red haired teen stopped him and shook her head.

"That doesn't matter. While you are a very kind person...it feels as if we don't know you. Not even your own teammates know you that well. We are a guild are we not?" She asked rhetorically.

"I-I see. I am...sorry if it feels like I have been closed off to you all. But I would prefer to keep my past to myself." He replied, feeling a little sting of guilt within him. Naruto didn't like keeping secrets but here in a new world, it was unnecessary. No one needed to know about the demon within him, no one needed to know that he was one of the best shinobi of his time and they certainly didn't need to know his past story.

The thought just left a feeling of distaste within him.

"That is fine, there is nothing to apologize for. But remember that we, as a guild, are family. We share as much happiness as we do pain." She smiled at him, telling him what their guild master had told her long ago.

"Even though I have only been here for a little over month...I've already began to think of you all as my second home away from home." Naruto said, returning her expression.

_"How foolish of me. I didn't even realize it."_

"That is great. Now enough of this! Arm yourself!" Naruto couldn't help but chuckle, there was never a dull moment in this dimension it seemed.

"Very well!" Snapping his fingers, he summoned from the darkness two weapons like he did before with his Falvern sword.

_**"Yoryuu no Ryoutou! (Night Dragon's Two Swords)." **_

_**"Tizona!" **_On his right, a black and purple swords appeared before him. The sword was wrapped in numerous cloths to seemingly represent it's birth of royalty.

_**"Colada!" **_On his left, an inverse of the Tizona appeared before him. This short blade is a few inches longer than it's partner the Tizona and is much heavier than it looks.

"I must warn you Erza-san. I am quite skilled in the art of the sword. Duel wielding is especially my favorite since it is as unpredictable as I am." He said with a smile adjourning his face, one that Erza returned.

"You aren't the only one with an ace!" Her rune circle engulfed the area, screaming as her power level rose, she summoned her current best armor.

_**"Exquip: Purgatory Armor!" **_A pure black, spiked armor suddenly replaced her other.

"No opponent has ever defeated this armor before!" She roared, grinning widely.

"Then I will overcome that odd! Like everything else that has been placed in front of me!"

Engaging her in close quarters, Naruto noticed that her speed and power had increased dramatically. Though it wasn't really a big improvement in his shinobi eyes, it was still something to behold. He wanted to test her out further, wanting to get a read of her current strength. Of course, he could have crushed her to the ground but it wasn't necessary seeing as they are comrade in arms.

"You're good!" He said, seemingly carefree. Erza didn't respond opting to growl instead, her entire manor from before disappearing.

_"The armor must effect her personality. Huh? doesn't surprise me. I guess I'll just finish this now."_

"Sorry Erza-san, but I don't feel like playing anymore." Crossing his two blades, he closed his eyes in blink concentration. Re-opening his eyes, they appeared to be black again.

_**"Yoryuu no Odori! (Night Dragon's Dance)" **_Summoning his shadows to engulf his swords, he ran at _full _speeds towards her and unleashed his nightmare-ish assault.

_**"Shotgun!" **_In a flash, countless sword slashed were executed in such refine that the crowd couldn't help but get dizzy. In a mere 2 seconds, peals of her armor were shredding to the floor at a massive pace.

_**"Flash!"**_ Once her armor was gone, he stabbed his swords to the ground. Naruto crouched down to his knees and kicked her in the air and without a moment to spare, he jumped up after her and delivered a magical enforced kick to her abdomen. The result ended with the red head flying towards the stadium walls in dead ended speeds, as the dust cleared, she dropped the the floor with a "thud'.

Unconscious.

"Maah, I hope she didn't get hurt too bad." He mumbled...returning to his regular state. Tilting his head, he saw Luxus on the ground, looking up to Gildartz whom seemed to be remaining unhurt.

* * *

_Like 30 seconds ago._

Luxus couldn't believe it. After all his hard training, his great tenacity towards his goals, Gildartz was still that far ahead of him. The man didn't even seem tired, much less sweating. He didn't do anything to him, all his attacks went down the drain as soon as it neared him. Luxus was tired, most of his magic had already left him.

"You've gotten good Luxus." Gildartz commented only for the blonde to snort.

"Not good enough... Why are you so strong?" He asked in between breaths.

"Maah..." He didn't like answering those questions, opting to BS him instead.

"Because I'm older than you." He said before knocking the teen out with the gravity of the air.

* * *

_With Naruto_

"Looks like you're done..." Naruto commented as he walked towards the elder man. He inwardly frowned, having created a clone to watch the fight in the shadows. All that was put together was that he could seemingly make anything he touches just "Crash'.

"You too. Hey you're pretty strong for a youngster." He grinned, giving him a thumbs up. Naruto grinned at him.

"Thanks and you ain't bad for someone who's approaching his mid-life crisis!" He didn't know if it was a complement or insult but just took it in stride.

"Well, looks like we got another ten minute intermission..." Gildartz said as the master came down and took Luxus and Erza to the infirmary.

"Yeah...guess I'll see you then." And with that, the two left to their respective resting spots.

If they were to both turn around, they would have seen the excited grin that was sported. For Gildartz, it had been years since a real challenge appeared before him. Even though he seemed laid back to the others, the blood of a mage was still inside him. He wanted a puzzle to fight.

And this youngster was powerful!

_"Let's see what you have, old man/kid." _They both thought as they left the arena temporarily.

..

..

_**Next Chapter: Finale!  
**_

* * *

End.

Hope I didn't disappoint. Naruto vs. Luxus won't be now, sorry if that was what you wanted. I feel that it would have been better to let them fight sometime in the future when Luxus can be obliged to go at full. More exciting that way.

Not meant to be a cliffhanger. I just wanted the fight to be on the next chapter.

And I am proud to say that I have the entire story mapped out! Yup this is only the beginning. Don't think I'm some punk that hasn't done his research. I have numerous villains that will indeed be a challenge both fighting wise and thinking wise.

There will be quite a few sub-plots to build character development, that is a necessary evil. But I assure you, I won't bore you too much. After all, I get most my ideas from One Piece and it's vast adventure.

Just wanted to let you all know that Naruto is indeed as powerful as some of you may think. I only do this so he doesn't have to spend chapter after chapter training. That bores me.

While he's strong, Naruto ain't invincible. It's hard to explain without giving spoilers so bare with me.

To cover some concerns about making the FT characters too strong...well it's just natural to me. He is fighting S-classed mages after all. I didn't bring Naruto into FT to downgrade everyone else, infact I did it to upgrade Naruto. Again, hard to explain.

Some of you may notice countless references from other animes, mythology and even games. Those are all on purpose so I could help you all relate to the story.

And that's it! Hope to see you all continue this story. Thank you so very much for reading.

_~Sniper Artist_


	10. Terror of the Unknown

_**The Dragon of the West**_

_A Fanfiction by: Sniper Artist_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Fairy Tail. I am only using their respective characters for a fanfiction._

_Summary: Upon his tearful death, Naruto meets a dragon. Given a second chance to live, he is sent to Fiore or more specifically Magnolia. Pre-canon Fairy Tail. Naruto X Fairy tail_

* * *

_Stands_

The crowd was whispering to themselves at the moment. There were quite a few different conversations but the one that dominated the most was the idea of having a new Dragonslayer in Fairy Tail. The mage, Uzumaki Naruto, had been quite shocker in the recent tournament. He fought three of Magnolia's best mages and put them down with relative ease and now he was about to face their best of the best.

Gildartz Crive, the legend.

"Who do you thinks gonna win?" A random civilian shouted out, seemingly wanting some attention.

"Definitely Gildartz! That new guy is awesome and all but ol' Gil is basically untouchable." Some other random civilian woman spoke out, confident in the old school.

"I don't know...that Naruto guy has been very surprising lately, I didn't even expect him to get past Evergreen." There were a few shouts of agreement in the air for that comment,

As they chatted among themselves, another being was watching the tournament with an interest. Mistgun, one of the now many S-classed magicians to be induced into Fairy Tail over the years. Not many people spoke of him of course but that didn't bother him due to that fact that he didn't like the spot light. Of course he had various reasons to.

The masked man found himself in deep thought, seemingly confused as to the identity of the blonde sage.

_"I have been all over both worlds...and I have never once seen him. But that energy...is far too familiar. Where have I sensed this before? Dammit, he could be a threat. Damn the Anima for keeping me busy!" _He calmed himself down after the mental rant, berating himself for his terrible forgetfulness.

_"His power is incredible. Too bad Luxus is far too young to understand just where his true level is. Like Gildartz, Naruto is definitely on that "SS' level. From the way he manhandled those three, it wasn't too much of a shock. Now the question is, how close is he to Gildartz? It's weird... his magical abundance just doesn't seem to end. It's like he's overflowing with magic. Gildartz and the master realizes this as well. Just who are you? Uzumaki Naruto." _He sighed, having nearly given up on his identity.

_"Maybe I should check the status of the Anima. It might tell me something...well I'll do that after this fight. I want to see what Naruto can do against the man that can destroy a dark guild by simply sleep walking." _He joked..._literally._

And with that, he just watched with content. Curious to the power of his new comrade and unknowingly greatest ally.

* * *

_With Naruto_

"NARUTO!" A voice screamed awakening the blonde from his battle readying trance. It was always his thing before going to a big battle having picked the habit up after fighting Pain many years ago.

"Cana? Yo, wazzup?" He waved, only to widen his eyes when she jumped him suddenly. Lucky was giggling from the back, watching her friend's antics.

"Why didn't you tell us man? You were off the chain back there!" She exclaimed, with a ear-splitting grin on her face.

"Maah, I wanted to surprise everyone. I am quite well known for that hehe!" He chuckled.

"Well tell us that! I was kinda worried when you were down for a second..." Naruto just shook his head at her.

"It's only a tournament Cana-chan! You don't have to worry about crap like that." Nodding her head, she almost forgot that it was just a fun tournament due to the tension in the air. Though it disappeared as soon as Luxus was beaten and now it's just good ol' friendly Gildartz.

"Sorry, hehe. And for giving you that crap about don't get your hopes to high." Cana said sheepishly, grinning.

"Maah, you didn't know my true powers so it was to be expected. No apologies necessary." He told her, waving his hands dismissively.

_"I won't hold out anymore... I promise." _He thought to himself as he eyed both his teammates. They were happy and he wanted that.

"So how do you plan on fighting Gildartz?" Lucky voiced from above, of course she didn't expect him to have a very good one since his knowledge on Gildartz was severly limited.

"None. I'll just wing it!" Of course she had expected that but that didn't stop her from face-vaulting. Cana just laughed at his enthusiasm.

"Amazing! Only a courageous man can jump into action without a plan!" He heard from the side, tilting his head Naruto saw two figures that were very familiar.

"Elfman, Lisanna." He acknowledged, waving at them.

"Hello Naruto-san." He frowned shook his head.

"Just Naruto will be fine. Hell, you can even call me Onii-chan ahaha." Lisanna nodded and grinned at him. _He's different now, _She thought.

"Ok, Naruto-nii." His eyes widened by a fraction. _She actually said it. I was only joking, _He mentally chuckled.

"Cool, so how's your sister?" He asked, sounding slightly worried.

"She's doing great. All you did was drain her magic, nothing too life threatening." Elfman responded. Naruto looked at them sheepishly.

"That's good. How about Erza and Luxus?" This time it was Lisanna that answered.

"Luxus is still unconscious, not too surprising seeing as he did fight Gildartz. Erza...she has quite a few bruises. You did send her flying towards the wall twice y'know." Naruto felt a little guilty at the statement but shrugged it and opted to grin sheepishly.

"I might have to apologize for that later haha." Eliciting a chuckled from everyone. Noticing Gildartz moving back to the field, he took a deep breath and started walking.

"Alright, it's time." After hearing a few shouts of "good luck', he renewed his vigour and prepared to fight the man in front of him with everything he had.

* * *

_Finale_

_Gildartz vs. Naruto_

_Time limit: 10 Minutes remaining on the clock_

"Ladies and gentleman of Magnolia!" Makarov shouted as he stood up on the sidelines. The crowd gave him their full attention, impatient for the fight to start. The tournament was nothing but surprise after another when the new blonde showed up. It was a pleasant experience, watching a complete enigma taking down famous mages.

"I present to you the _Finale! _We have a battle between the old and the new! The young and the elder! The _Dragon of the West, _Naruto has risen from the bottom and climbed his way to the top! He now faces the man who stands on top!" Even if he did do a good job at building up the tension, Makarov mentally laughed when he heard someone yell "Get on with it!'.

"Competitors! ARE YOU READY?" Both nodded, eyes completely focused on the other.

"_THEN LET'S GET READY TO PARTY! GO!" _As soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately jumped out of the way as a large blast of wind made it's way towards Gildartz. The Fairy Tail veteran watched in interest as the single blast of wind separated and became five different attacks coming at him from all sides.

_**"Fuuton: Shinkuugan! (Vacuum Gun)"**_

Not even bothering to dodge, he immediatly dispelled the first blast that approached him from the front and simultaneously flicked both his hands to deflect the others approaching him from behind. Without even a second to spare, the other two came at him from completely different angles. Grinning, he tapped his foot to the ground and brought the surrounding earth to shield him from the attack.

_"Interesting approach..." _The man thought as he saw the blonde eyeing him with caution.

"In a rush are we?" He taunted slyly.

Naruto looked at the man in front of him in awe.

_"Ok...so he doesn't have a time skip like Pain's Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push) after all. He used his powers to make the earth "Crash' into my attacks as well. Hmm, can he avoid shadows though?" _Palming his hands to the floor, he ripped the darkness from it and started feeding greedily. Gildartz looked at him with narrowed eyes, but still grinning.

"I know Natsu eating fire is weird...but that was on the ground." Naruto chuckled and ceased his violent feeding. He needed power to pull of his next technique. Bring his hands in front of him, Gildartz tensed slightly as he felt the sudden surge of magic.

_**"Yoryuu no Nadare! (Night Dragon's Avalanche)" **_An overwhelming amount of darkness suddenly sprang from around the stadium and shot it's way towards the veteran member. Looking slightly perplexed, he brought his hands up into a "V' and did something that surprised Naruto.

He split the attack into pieces. The technique wasn't finished but that didn't mean anything to his opponent. After a few minutes of holding up the attack, Naruto finally let it go and retracted the shadows.

"Damn...How do you do that? Is there anything that can touch you!" Naruto exclaimed, looking at a neutral Gildartz. The man hadn't budged an inch from his spot since the fight started.

"Maybe, who knows." He said grinning, the boy was thinking very hard. Almost too hard.

_**"Then how bout this?" **_Putting as much energy as he did last time, Naruto sucked in his breath and unleashed his signature Dragonslayer attack.

_**"Yoryuu no Hoko! (Night Dragon's Howl)"**_ Like before and intense maelstrom of darkness started to engulf the area he shot it towards. Gildartz sighed and brought out both his hands again.

_**"Crash." **_

Gildartz watched as he created a small bubble within the attack and refused to move. As the attack ended, Naruto watched as Gildartz was completely surrounded by rubble. The area around him untouched.

"Keh! His magic is starting to lower." Naruto mumbled, though he didn't want to admit it but the other man was still going easy on him. Not only has he not moved but the guy was smart enough to observe before countering. It reminded alot of Shikamaru. That was when it hit him! _Think like Shikamaru._

_"Let's see if he can deflect this! __**Kage Bunshin! (Shadow Clone)**__" _Summoning 6 clones, he had them surround Gildartz in a hexagon formation.

"Oooh...what's this?" The veteran mused as he saw the attack. _Did he think of something?, _Gildartz thought.

"I will have to thank to an old friend for giving me this idea."

_**"Kage Eisha! (Shadow Projection)" **_A small door appeared from besides him. Gildartz looked at him suspiciously, eyeing the projection with caution. Naruto noticed this and smiled.

"Maah, since you don't want to move. I'll make you. Attack Him! Clonenumber1-kun!" Sweat dropping at the name of his current attacker, he watched in kindle as a single clone rushed him at mediocre speeds. The blonde clone jumped up and went to punch him straight up.

As Gildartz was about to destroy him as he inched closer, the clone suddenly disappeared as a blast of wind came out of the clone's stomach and launched at him at full force. Startled, the elder man jumped back and tried to avoid the attack, succeeding only partially, leaving where he once stood as a pile of craters.

"What the hell? Ah, I see. Very clever." He mumbled having finally been forced out of his spot.

_"He put one of his "doors' on his clone and shot a wind attack into the other "door' besides him to project it at me. It's very tricky! Very useful as well. Maybe I can take him with me on the 100 year mission!" _He thought with a grin. Feeling a stinging sensation coming from his shoulders, Gildartz realized that he had finally taken damage. The feeling was nostalgic, seeing as he wasn't injured as often now as opposed to his younger days.

"Wow, you actually got me there. I'll admit, I haven't been injured in a long time. You are talented to have been able to pressure me..." Naruto nodded, thankful for the complement.

"Thank you, Naruto." He heard Gildartz say, confusing him and the crowd.

"Why are you thanking me?" Naruto asked. Instead of chuckling, the elder man laughed.

"This pain, it reminds me that I am still human. I guess there's no need to take it easy on you any longer. That is the least I could do to repay you. Now! We fight as equals!" Taking off his cloak, Gildartz showed off the build that was accumulated from countless years of both mental and physical training. The man had countless scars on his abdomen and chest, an obvious sign of his experience on the battlefield.

The crowd was shocked. The new guy, Naruto whom looked to be only about 15 years old, managed to actually harm the seemingly invincible Gildartz. Even if it was a slight scratch, Naruto was still holding back and they all knew it.

* * *

_Sidelines_

The guild stood slack jawed as they saw their best mage wincing in slight pain. No one outside of the master himself had been able to do that as far as they were concerned.

"H-h-he-h." Macao tried to put what he saw in words but couldn't. The boy who seemed to be nothing but a big pile of "SURPRISE" just gave them another. Now a few days ago, he wouldn't think of this as possible. Naruto just seemed to be your everyday B to A classed leveled mage, which was still impressive. But to see him go toe to toe with one of the few "SS' classed mages in the world was a sight to remember.

"He got Gildartz...and it was good." Gray said, looking at the blonde whom was fighting with awe and respect on his 14 year old frame.

"He just winged it..." Lucky mumbled, looking at Cana who's mouth seemed to be on the ground. It was a funny sight really.

"OH HELL YEAH! SHOW THEM THE POWER OF THE _**DRAGONSLAYERS**_!" Natsu screamed, waking up nearly everyone in the stadium from their shock. As soon as it registered to them, everyone stood up and started cheering excitedly. They were wild! screaming for the match to go on.

Cana snapped her head towards Lucky and met her eyes with a burning passion. Knowing what she wanted, Lucky nodded and followed her lead.

"THAT'S OUR TEAMMATE DOWN THERE! HELL YEAH!" They boasted _very _loudly to the crowd. Makarov could only chuckle, it really was a fun day.

He hoped it stayed that way.

* * *

_Back to the fight._

Naruto didn't feel the crowd, opting to keep his eyes ahead instead. He had finally found a method of fighting him but it was all but futile. That wasn't the only problem as Gildartz had announced that he wouldn't be taking it easy anymore.

"Well, I found one way of fighting you. Never thought it would be so difficult though."

_"If only I knew Hiraishin! Damn you dad for making it so damn hard to learn! I don't have many techniques that allows me to do what I just did now...What should I do? He won't fall for the same trick twice. " _

"Well, all good things must come to an end I'm afraid." He heard Gildartz say with a serious voice that just didn't seem to fit him. Said man slam his hands to the ground making Naruto's eyes widen as the floor started shaking. Jumping to the safety of the wall as multiple dull spikes shot up and destroyed his clones.

"Good reflexes..." Gildartz commented dully. Naruto felt another subtle rumble from behind him and moved as he was nearly engulfed into the floor. Running to the other side of the building, Naruto closed his eyes and reopened them as Black.

_**"Yoryuu no Koutei! (Night Dragon's Flight)" **_Commanding the shadows to engulf him, he suddenly took shape into a human sized dragon kin like species. Spreading his wings, he jumped and flew into the air to take a look at the spike littered arena.

_"Earth? No, that's not it."_

Suddenly feeling a surge of energy approaching, he quickly maneuvered to the left in time to dodge a seemingly invisible attack from the air. Naruto widened his eyes as realization dawned on him.

_"There's no doubt about it!" _

"Is that your power? Crashing matter?" Gildartz smirked at the blond's sudden question, feeling all eyes were on him he answered.

"Maybe... Oh and cool little transformation you got there." And with that, he punched the air and unleashed a barrage of invisible air pulses at him.

_"So that's it. He can control the "direction' of the matter he comes in contact with. Matter can be anything. Me, the air, the ground, the sky, hell even lava. But he needs to be in contact with it first. Just standing there gives him control over the ground and wind. The real question is, just how much can he control at a time." _Rewinding the fight in his head, he remembered him splicing his winds with ease.

_"That doesn't help!" _Eyeing the clock, he saw that the match was quickly approaching it's time limit.

_"One minute and thirty seconds left. If I use "that' technique, I might be able to beat him." _Dodging the numerous amounts of attacks, the man sent at him he began to contemplate his final approach.

"I'll use it! I have no reason to hide it any longer." Flying to the center of the stadium, he closed his eyes and put his arms into an "X' formation. Gildartz felt the sudden, incredible surge of energy and opted to see what the kid was planning. Naruto was feeding on the surrounding darkness.

_"That's a helluva lot of power he's absorbing..." _

* * *

_?_

_"Have you found him?" _A small, feminine voice spoke. She was somewhere in the middle of Magnolia, looking for a man her master wanted dead.

_"Yes, he is at Fairy Tail as we speak." _One of her followers answered, sounding relieved.

_"Good attack him! Kill Ivan Dreyher now!" _

_"Understood my lady!"_

* * *

_Sidelines_

"He is gathering a huge amount of darkness... What is he up too?" Asked Fried, whom was watching the fight with a keen eye.

"I don't know but it feels familiar..." Natsu said from beside him. Fried perked an eyebrow at the mention.

"What do you mean, Natsu?"

"Well...when dad was teaching me. He showed me one of the Dragonslayer's final form. I never had enough power to pull it off but...it feels so similar to what Naruto is doing now." Fried nodded.

"What was this form called?" Scratching his head, Natsu tried to muster up an answer but failed.

"Don't remember." Fried face-vaulted. _Oh well, _He thought with a silent chuckle.

* * *

_?_

_**"ZAHAHAHAHA, you taught him that?" **_Aphelion roared with laughter. Tridantes wasn't the type to teach humans in the first place and never had he expected the guy to actually teach such a powerful move to a human.

_**"He had the power to use it! But to even think of using it against a mere human...His opponent must be powerful." **_Tridantes said, eyeing the Fairy Tail ace from where they watched. All the other Dragons were impressed by the blond's sharp thinking to land such a tricky tactic before with his limited resources. Now they were watching him go into a form that most of the lower tiered dragon's feared.

_**"He must have been one impressive pupil!"**_ Aphelion replied, looking at his brother with slight amusement.

_**"I only teach the best! HAHAHA."**_

* * *

_?_

"Hehehe, stupid Fairy Tail won't know what hit them." A man voiced as he was sneaking around the building, this man had a name. A name that everyone in Fairy Tail knew. Ivan Dreyher was an exile, having committed numerous crimes under his name. Many years ago, he was banished by Makarov for his crimes and now he was planning an ongoing revenge. This man was and still is a sick, greedy bastard. The worse of the worse of them all.

"Now where is that document..." Before he could continue, he dodged a blast of magic that came from behind him.

"Who're you?" He asked, as he turned around. Only to smile when a half naked, armor wearing woman approached him with caution.

"Why hello there...now can you explain just why did you attack me just now?" He said while eyeing her hourglass body with intent. The woman shook her head, disgusted with the man she was asked to kill.

_"Ivan Dreyher?" _She asked eliciting a malicious grin from the man himself.

"Oh yes, that's me. How can I help you?" Instead of answering, she shot another blast of magic that seemed to originate from the wand in her hand.

_"Lord Hades has ordered your execution! NOW DIE!" _And with that, all hell broke loose.

* * *

_Fight_

Gildartz looked up and saw that Naruto was done gathering his energy but still hadn't moved from his spot.

"Oi, what's wrong?" He asked.

Naruto's eyes were closed in concentration and allowed his wings to recede. Dropping to the ground like an angel of death would approach it's target, he walked up slowly and opened his eyes.

"This is the end." The air around him started to wisp and sickle, surrounding his body like an armor. The darkness also joined in with the winds and engulfed the blonde whole, making Gildartz look at him with caution due to his sudden power up.

_"Talk about a "jump'. His magical energy just sky-rocketed!" _

_**"Let's do this! DRAGONFO-" **_He was suddenly cut off as an explosion plummeted in the distance. Dropping his form quickly, he jumped to the arena roof along with every other mage in the area to see what the problem was. What they saw sent waves of anger and worry through there hearts. Their home away from home was burning to a crisp along with parts of the town. Naruto winced his eyes and located a few of his clones following the silhouettes from earlier.

"What the hell..." He whispered, rage building in him.

"What in the world is going on! Why is our guild on fire!" He heard someone whisper angrily from where he stood.

"Master!" The blonde called, waiting to hear the old man's orders.

"Right, Fairy Tail! To me!" He commanded, every member suddenly in front of him ready for orders.

"Everyone but Naruto, Gildartz and Mistgun. Start evacuating the civilians! Keep them safe." They nodded and left to fulfill their orders rather hesitantly, most preferring to go check on their second home.

"As for you three. We're going to see just what the hell is going on!" And with that, they jumped down to the floor and sprinted towards the guild at full speeds. The four of them angry and worried beyond belief.

The culprits were all going to pay.

* * *

_With Cana_

Cana Alberona was currently heading towards the infirmary to get her friends whom participated and lost during the tournament. She rushed, not wanting to be late to inform them of the dire situation. As soon as the door came into sight, she rammed it down without any remorse, waking up Erza, Mira, Evergreen, Bixlow and Luxus immediately.

"What the hell! I'm tryin to sleep here!" Luxus exclaimed, upset at many things at the moment. Not only had he been crushed by Gildartz but he was beaten with ease in front of the entire city. It left a stain on his reputation.

"No time for that! The guild's under attack!" She all but yelled, shocking the three S-class mages and two B-class mages.

"WHAT!" Erza screamed, seemingly out of character for her.

"When did this happen!" Mira asked, eyes darkening considerably.

"During the finals. Naruto and Gildartz were dukin it out when the explosion happened. I'm surprised you guys didn't wake up from it." Luxus shook his head.

"This room is protected from outer sound waves so patients could get their sleep." He explained, seemingly getting even more angry than he was before.

"Dammit no time to waste! What was gramps' order?" Luxus asked, knowing his grandfather probably went to check the problem himself.

"He told Naruto, Mistgun and Gildartz to come with him to the guild and ordered everyone else to keep the civilians safe." Nodding at her, he stood up with a slight shake in his knees. Obviously a side affect from his fight from prior.

"I'm going to the guild and back up gramps. Evergreen, Bixlow! Find Fried and follow the master's original orders!" He commanded them. Evergreen was reluctant.

"B-But sir! You haven't fully recovered yet!" She told him, only to get a sneer from the blonde.

"I don't need my magic to deal with a bunch of cowards! Attacking my home when it's defenseless!" Evergreen nodded, though rather hesitantly. Leaving before Erza could stop him, she sighed and shook her head.

"While reckless, I agree with him. Cana, can you take away my fatigue temporarily? I want to go back up the Master as well." Cana complied and drew one of her cards.

_**"Magic Cards: Queen of Hearts!"**_ Her tetra card glowing green, she proceeded to temporarily heal Erza.

"Thank you. Now, Mira and I will go see what's up in the guild. Thanks for getting us." Erza said, putting her hand on Cana's shoulders.

"Alright, but be careful. I can tell that you're not at full strength."

"I'll be fine. Mira's here with me. Now let's go!"

And like that, they bolted out of the room. Intent on finding out the situation.

* * *

_Streets of Magnolia_

Naruto, Gildartz, Mistgun and Makarov were on their way to the guild when they sudden blasts of energy came their way. All of them expertly blocking the attack in their own way, they looked at the source and frowned when numerous armored mages surrounded them.

"Mistgun!" Makarov spoke as if issuing a coded command. The mask man nodded and took out one of his many staffs from his back and waved it at them.

_**"Dark Array: Haunting Shadows!" **_A seeping dark magical energy seeped out of his staff and ravaged the enemies. The few that got away then became victims of Gildartz's subtle crashes.

"Who are these people?" Naruto questioned, unfamiliar with their outfits.

"They belong to the _Valkyries, _a squadron of trained assassins that work directly for dark guilds that hire them... though I heard that they became exclusive recently." Makarov mumbled, looking at the unconscious soldiers.

"Exclusive? To whom?" Naruto questioned, looking at his master.

"Grimoire Hearts." A voice said from behind them. The four turned around and saw a flash of blue and white, it was Naruto's partner, Tayuya flying with wings.

"Tayuya! Wait, do you know something about them?" The exceed nodded, retracting her wings and landed on his shoulders.

"As a bard, I have many...friends you could say, thus I have a lot of information that most don't. Many whispers have been going around about the _Assassins of the Dark _or _Valkyries _as you call them, turning exclusive to the dark guild called Grimoire Hearts." She told them with a serious face etched on her features.

"So basically, you have a spy network?" Gildartz said with laced amusement. Tayuya merely laughed at the term.

"Spy network? Oh, heavens no! More like a gossip club!" She replied with glee, earning a weird look from Naruto.

_"So Tayuya has a spy network huh? That's...unexpected. This is great! Though, I doubt it's anything like the super organized Ero-sennin spy club. But, it's better than nothing."_

"We really need to talk about these things, Tayuya-chan. But now's not the time. Let's go!" He said, not wanting to waste anymore time.

"Indeed, who knows how many of them are left." Makarov said aloud, eyeing another explosion that came from the distance. Without wasting any more time, the four mages ran into the direction of the blast, talking while on the way.

"Master." Naruto called as they were sprinting.

"Yes, Naruto?"

"Who are the Grimoire Hearts? I've heard it somewhere on one of my missions but I never bothered on checking it up." The blonde asked him with a business like voice.

"The most prominent Dark guild on the continent. You know what a Dark guild is right?" Naruto nodded, having met a few members of Dark guilds on missions. Cana had explained to him just what exactly Dark guilds were after that.

"Illegal guilds. The ones that were disbanded but kept working otherwise. They are called criminal organizations by the council." The old man nodded.

"Have you heard of the Balam Alliance?" Naruto shook his head, frowning at the unfamiliar term.

"It's not surprising seeing as you've only been in guild affairs for a short time. The Balam Alliance is a union of Dark guilds." Naruto widened his eyes, not liking the sound of that. The master sighed.

"And Grimoire Hearts is at it's center. They are without a doubt, the most powerful Dark guild on the continent."

"How...troublesome." Naruto noted, feeling a headache coming to him. To him, the entire thing sounded like a mapped out war. And being a former Hokage and shinobi, he expected it to be soon.

"We'll talk about this later. We're here!" Gildartz said, approaching the area with caution. Once they walked up, they were granted the sight of countless dead bodies littered on the ground. Disgusted, Makarov searched the area and saw a very familiar face. Noticing the same, Gildartz growled uncharacteristically.

"Ivan..." He mumbled, narrowing his eyes. Said man turned around and widened his eyes.

"Ooooh, hello Gildartz. The master is here as well? Sup pops!" He said with so much sarcasm laced in his voice that Naruto couldn't help but feel a burning nostalgic anger building up in him. The man gave off the same aura as a certain pale, sinister and sickening villain from his world.

He reminded him of Orochimaru of the Sannin.

"And who are these three? Ahh, you must be the Mistgun! Pleasure." The masked mage only eyed him with caution.

"Oh and you must be the _Dragon of the West. _And what's this? Is that an exceed you have there with you? Fascinating." Tayuya stiffened, which did not go unnoticed to Naruto. He didn't bother to ask, opting to find out later.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Gildartz said angrily making Ivan chuckle.

"It seems I am un-welcomed here. Ah well, this whole thing was a failure anyways. I never expected that old fool to send mere _Valkyries _to kill me. Hell, they didn't even send the boss herself! Disappointing..." He paused for a second and sighed over dramatically. "Well, this has been a nice reunion...I'll be going now." He tilted his head and looked at the woman from earlier. She was beaten and bloodied.

"Well, it has been fun. You're aren't bad but A-class at best. No match for me at all." As he was about to leave, Gildartz sent a rip-roaring amount of wind attacks towards him. The attack exploded point blank at where he stood, leaving a huge amount of dust.

"Don't think you can just run away!" The Fairy Tail ace said. As the winds cleared, it revealed nothing but air.

"Dammit!" As Naruto was about to go search for him, Makarov stopped him.

"No, there are more important things to do. Mistgun! Clear the fire. Naruto, you and Gildartz detain any Valkyries that you see in the area. I'll collect these bodies." Nodding, they complied the order. Watching them leave, Makarov seethed silently.

_"Ivan, that miserable fool! How am I going to explain this to Luxus? It hurts me to tell him that his father is one of the worst criminals in the world. Damn you to hell, my son!" _

Tired, he transformed into a giant and started to sweep the bodies. Planning on turning them over to the authorities for interrogation the next day.

* * *

_Next Morning_

In the end, all Erza, Mira and Luxus managed to find was their master collecting bodies of beaten mages. They were reluctant to comply when the master told them to leave the other roaming assassins to Gildartz and Naruto, due to the fact that they also wanted to join in. Makarov shook his head and lectured them about limits.

Now it was morning, everyone was tired both physically and emotionally. Gildartz had been quite solemn since the confrontation but later returned to his former self soon enough. Naruto looked at the now crisped building with a bit of sadness but shook it off, knowing that it could be easily re-built

He was also disappointed that his match with the elder man would remain unfinished for the moment.

_"Ah well, can't get everything you want." _He thought to himself, looking at the now dispersed members around him. Most had gone home to see if their families were ok and others had gone to simply rest.

"What a day..." He sighed.

"Indeed. We have a lot of work to do." Makarov said from beside him, looking older than he should.

"Yeah..." Naruto said and cracked his neck. Getting ready to create clones to clean up the building before the master stopped him.

"You've done a lot of work already. Go home and get some rest Naruto. Besides, I don't think little Tayuya is comfortable with sleeping on your shoulders." The now confirmed exceed had indeed fallen asleep in the middle of the night the other day, right after he and Gildartz had finished rounding up stray assassins.

"Agreed." Saying his farewells to his master, Naruto left to his home. The fire had indeed spread that far but it seemed that there was no damage done, weirdly. For some odd reason, Naruto suspected his landlords to be mages in disguise.

Nah, no way.

* * *

_?_

In a dimly lit room, two figures were present. One was an old man, whom was currently stroking his beard like most old men his age would do when they become close to senile. The other figure was clothed in a full black garb with a hoodie sweater, efficiently hiding his face within the dark.

_"So they failed?" _The older man said with a ghostly voice without a hint of surprise nor anger.

"Yes." Was the short and rather dull reply. The man did not even bother pretending he didn't want to be here.

_"I see. That was to be expected." _

"Y'know, I could go on and on about how stupid it was to send such a weak squad but you wouldn't listen. Anyways, am I done here? I have many things to do. Targets to kill, people to threaten, woman to _entertain. _A lot better than spending time here talking to you, some old, decrepit man." The old man looked at him with subtle fury in his eyes.

_"Such disrespect! If you weren't so powerful, I'd kill you right now you insolent brat! I am the lord of this ship and I demand respect!" _He all but yelled, eliciting a laugh from the younger, hooded man.

"Respect is earned. I have no respect for men like you. Now, now, I must be going. I suspect my lady has grown impatient with me. She was very _close_ before your damn prick messenger arrived. Be careful next time, I don't want to kill another of your lackeys." As he was about to leave, the elder man sent a huge wave of killer intent at him. The younger man smirked and turned it back on him, eyes turning blood red with black slits.

"Jeez, you think that you scare me? Old man Hades. Y'know, while they call you a "god', they call me a demon of hell. I have slain gods far more fierce-some then some old flesh bag like you!" And like that, he left. The old man sat down and sighed in dismay.

_"Why are weapons so hard to control?"_

* * *

End.

I apologize to those who expected an ending to the Gildartz fight. But you must understand, if I did make someone win, I'd probably lose all motivation on making this fic. I don't know what Gildartz's true power is since the manga hasn't revealed so. And I certainly don't want to risk anything for the future. I plan on ending this fic one day.

So as redemption, I gave you all a treat at the end. I know that some of you will figure it out so I won't bother denying any claim.

In fact, I gave you guys a lot of hints in this chapter. A whole lot. I know some of you would be disappointed so I decided to give you many things to think about.

From here on out, I will be consistently using more characters other than Naruto now.

Oh and the next chapter will probably be the "official" end to the Intro Arc. There is a slight possibility of this story going to M later on as well. The next arc will be called the "Dark Guild Hunt" arc.

Well, thank you for reading. And if you are kind of enough to leave reviews, please do so.

_~Sniper Artist_


	11. Decisions, Decisions

_**The Dragon of the West**_

_A Fanfiction by: Sniper Artist_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Fairy Tail. I am only using their respective characters for a fanfiction._

_Summary: Upon his tearful death, Naruto meets a dragon. Given a second chance to live, he is sent to Fiore or more specifically Magnolia. Pre-canon Fairy Tail. Naruto X Fairy tail_

* * *

_Magnolia streets. _

Walking down the streets of Magnolia, Naruto noticed an abundance of looks that he got from the civilians. They were all of respect and admiration, though he was used to it, the feeling of being known in a positive light was great. All the mages that he had walked by gave him nods of acknowledgment as well, seeing as he did fight Gildartz equally for a time.

Three days had slowly passed since the tournament. The town had been going through a few changes due to the damage from the numerous explosions that occurred. Houses were being rebuilt, parks being refined back anew and lastly the guild had been easily fixed with the help of Lucky's wood magic and Naruto's clones. The detained Valkyries and their captain were turned over to the council for interrogation a couple days ago, not that the Jinchuuriki cared much.

Gildartz had been showing signs of leaving, and Naruto had no idea where or how long exactly. But according to way he spoke after the tournament, it would be for a long time. The blonde sighed, he would have to wait if he wanted to finish the match that was started during the night of the Mage Mash.

Luxus had also been acting a bit weird lately, always spacing out when someone was trying to speak to him. After a while, he just gave up on figuring out the elder teen's problem. It wasn't the first time Naruto had to deal with brooder.

_"Master called for a Guild meeting today. Probably wants to address the incident. Forgetting that... I guess it's a good time to bring Natsu to the ruins later as well. It should be a ten day trip. Hehe, now's a good time to use those vacation hours I got for participating in the Mash" _Naruto kindly thought with glee. The young Dragonslayer had been bugging him about training since his offer that day, always asking for help on his dragon roar and such. The rosy haired boy was a great student when he was focused correctly.

"Naruto." A voice spoke from his shoulders, tilting his head he met the eyes of Tayuya. She had told him about herself being called an exceed but it seemed to end there due to the fact that she was reluctant to share her past. Naruto nodded, understand her definite hesitance. Some things are just meant to stay in the past.

"Yes, Tayuya-chan?"

"You mentioned something about going to the _The Ruins of the Dark Night _with that other Dragonslayer boy, right?" She asked.

"Yes, he wanted to search for some clues on finding Igneel. Why do you ask?" Closing her eyes in thought, she seemed to be contemplating something.

"There has been...terrifying rumors spreading in that region. An informant of mine sent me a message that detailed all the information that was spreading." She responded with a business like voice, showing that she was dead serious. Naruto perked his eyes in interest.

"And what are these rumors?" Sighing, she decided to relay the information as she had read it earlier.

"It's hard to explain. It seems rumors of...Euthanasia being a practice there has been spreading." She started only to be disrupted by Naruto quickly.

"Is that weird? Where I come from, elder folks whom are deemed...unsurvivable were willingly euthanized. Some even went happy." He replied dully, not seeing any interesting in the rumor.

"Let me finish...I meant that people have been performing euthanasia on others. With or without their consent..." That stopped Naruto in his tracks, suddenly feeling the need to interrupt her.

"Why are you making it so complicated? Isn't "murder' a better term to use than "unwilling euthanasia'?" Naruto replied, face scrunching up slightly. Tayuya sighed and just gave him the paper. Grabbing the information, he read it and widened his eyes in shock at the contents.

_"Unbelievable...Even in this world. Where things seem so bright...I guess I have grown slightly complacent since I've been here." _He thought while pocketing the paper for later reference. Shaking his head in disgust, he proceeded to increase his pacey walk to the guild to get an early start for the day.

"Tayuya, we're going to inform the master. He must know about this." The exceed nodded and sighed in content.

* * *

_?_

In the far skies that seemed to be unending, a flying ship floated mystically as if it were eternal. The gigantic transport flew close to the clouds, as if it were hiding itself from enemies from below. Within the ship stood two figures, one real and the other holographic looking as if he they were conversing.

_"Is it ready?" _The man in the hologram spoke, patience laced in his attitude. He wore a black garb and hoodie that seemed to do a great job at covering his face. The hooded man also wore a crest on his right shoulders that seemed to fit as a one way shoulder pad. The crest had the words "_**Juudaime' **_printed boldly on it.

"Yes sir, we are currently looking into it as a matter of fact." This time as woman spoke, she was kneeling down with her face to the floor as if in total submission. She had silky red hair and glasses that seemed to fit her delicate features. She wore a white coat with a crested spiral sign on the front, signifying her position as the head of her division.

_"Very good, it is very important that you summon him here as well. Like you, he is my top general. Now, please get to work Ursane. If you are successful, then I just might pay you a little...visit later." _He said with little subtle hinting, though that was not the case as a full blown blush appeared on her face.

"Y-Yes! Anything for you, my Lord!" She spoke with a bit of haste, eliciting a small chuckle from the hologram figure.

_"Well, that will be all for now. That old fool Hades is calling me for an assignment." _He said with much distaste. The red head nodded and proceeded to stand up straight once again.

"I understand. By your leave, my Lord." And with that the man disappeared from where he stood. The now identified woman, Ursane, left without another word. Exiting the door silently and walked with a casual spring.

As if the conversation never happened.

* * *

_Fairy Tail_

The blonde walked down the streets with a bit of urgency in his springs. He saw his renewed guild and marched in quickly, searching around for his master. Walking over to the direction. Makarov saw him and smiled, casually waving at the blonde.

"Yo, Naruto. The meeting hasn't started yet so why are you here so early?"

"Master, I have dire news." Naruto told him in a hushed whisper, instantly earning a look of confusion from the elder man.

"What's up?" Naruto shook his head, gesturing to the door behind them.

"Let's talk in the back. Tayuya has an interesting piece of...information to share." The old man's face suddenly turned serious, recognizing his tone. Walking to the back door, he made sure no one was listening in as they spoke.

"What do you have?" Taking out a piece of paper, he let the old man read it. As he finished, Makarov sighed and shook his head.

"This rumor was just confirmed a mere five hours ago. I got a call from Bob, the Guild master of Blue Pegasus. He asked for some back up due to a little situation that's been going down recently." The man spoke in a tired tone.

"Ironically, I was about to send your team. This is perfect, seeing as how Tayuya-san over there has an informant nearby, you can get some additional info." The blonde smiled inwardly, knowing what the old man was hinting at.

"You know what this means, don't you? Naruto." The young sage nodded in glee.

_"It means that I no longer need to have that talk. It seems my performance in the tournament has increased my credibility." _He thought kindly to himself.

"Good, so I won't bother hinting it at you. Thanks to your performance in the MM tournament, the council of mages has agreed to upgrade your status to _**S **_Class. From here on out, you will be able to take S-class missions." He told him, giving the younger man a pat on the back.

"Congratulations. I planned on announcing this right before telling them of Gildartz's long term mission." Nodding, he decided to ask him a question.

"Will I be able to bring my teammates along with me on these S-classed missions?" Sighing, the man nodded.

"Yes. Back when Luxus led the Raijinshuu, he was also the only S-classed mage. To take such a mission, you need atleast one S-ranked mage and the rest must be over B-class. Luckily for you, Cana and Lucky fits the description. No offense Tayuya, the council doesn't really know of your ability to use magic so they didn't bother with you." She shook her head, obviously not caring what humans thought of her.

"I don't care."

"Cool." Naruto said.

"Good, now! Here's your first assignment." He threw a folder of documents at him, allowing the blonde to catch it with ease.

"You are to go to the guild, Blue Pegasus and report to Bob. He will explain the situation to you in full detail. I expect you, as the leader of Team Otherworld, to debrief Cana and Lucky." Naruto smiled and nodded to the man.

"I won't let you down, Boss." Makarov nodded to him, pleased with his reaction.

"You are now a role model for children in this city, Naruto. Like Erza is to the young sorceresses, you are now to the young sorcerers. Expect to be trounced by paparazzi any day now." Chuckling at the joke, Naruto turned to leave before he remembered his promise.

"Crap. I promised Natsu that I'd bring him to the Ruins of the Dark Night." Makarov shook his head.

"He can't go with you Naruto. The boy, while powerful, is far to immature to handle an S-classed mission. I am already leaving Cana and Lucky's sanity as your responsibility. You don't need Natsu on your hands as well." Sighing, the blonde submitted.

"Ah well, how about this? After the mission is completed, I can use my vacation hours right?" He nodded.

"Then, can you send Natsu to Blue Pegasus after I inform you of the mission completion? If I'm right, it's only a ten hour train ride from here to there. I'll take him to the ruins and back. It won't take to long, the place is empty." Makarov gave him a deadpan look.

"You really don't know do you?" He spoke slowly.

"What?" Naruto asked, shifting subtly.

"That Natsu has a chronic motion sickness issue." The blonde was close to laughing at that, he hadn't known at all.

"Ah well, he'll have to deal with it." Makarov nodded.

"Very well, I'll tell him."

"Thank you. Well, by your leave. I need to go prepare for the mission. Getting new gears and such." The old man dismissed him and followed.

"The meeting is in thirty minutes."

* * *

_Streets of Magnolia_

As he left the building to go find an equipment shop, Naruto walked with a noticeable spring in his step. He was glad to have finally gotten his promotion, seeing as he entered the tournament for the sole reason of it.

"So, what will you do?" Tayuya asked as they were walking.

"It's a mystery but we'll figure it out. We're leaving as soon as the master finishes the meeting." Without saying another word, they silently walked to the local armory shop. The building was a medium sized house with traditional sliding doors. Entering, he was welcomed to the very interesting sight of Cana, Lucky and Erza all there in a group.

"Oh?" He said aloud, catching their attention.

"Naruto, Tayuya, how are you two today?" Erza said first, waving casually at her friend. The blonde returned the gesture and smiled at them.

"I am fine." Tayuya replied dully, then looked at Naruto whom continued.

"Good. Just here restocking on some equipment. What about you girls?" This time it was Cana that answered from the side.

"Well, ya see. Erza here needed help in picking out armor. I dunno anythin about armor really so I have no idea why she called me here." The brunette told him, scratching her head sheepishly. Chuckling, Naruto walked over and patted softly her on the back.

"Ah well, it's the thought that counts." Nodding with a grin, she stepped aside. Allowing Lucky to get a wave and smile.

"So, any idea on what the meeting's about?" The violet haired teen asked with an innocent expression adjourning her face.

"I talked to the master earlier today. He said it was something about Gildartz or something. Not sure." Erza quirked an eyebrow.

"That's odd. Well, I guess we'll just have to see. Must be big news if it involves Gildartz." Nodding, the blonde walked around and started his browsing. Going over the armor section, he eyed a few before picking a black under armor type wear.

"Why are you buying that? Those are for Samurai." Cana commented, raising her brows in question. The blonde shook his head, whilst walking towards the counter.

"It's very light and moderately durable. This armor, which costs only about as much as a video game would, could save my life one day..." He answered with slight wisdom edging his voice. She nodded, understanding his reasons.

"When you put it like that, it makes sense." And with that, the girls continued their shopping. After fifteen minutes, they decided to head back to the guild before the meeting started.

* * *

_Fairy Tail_

"Alright you kids, let's get this started!" Makarov started, eying all those within the building. His S-class mages were in the crowd with Luxus, Fried and a well hidden Mistgun on the second floor. Gildartz was sitting down on the stool next to where the master was, drinking with leisure. The rest were sitting around the food court, awaiting his speech.

"To start off, I wanted to tell you all about the job well done on the emergency order. The council is actually pretty impressed... shocking I know." He added eliciting a few laughs, the fact that the council hated them were public. So it was weird to hear praise from them once in a while.

"I also have a few announcements to make." Casting a brief look towards his ace and quickly resumed.

"As some of you may have know, I made a deal with Gildartz which was the sole reason he was in the tournament in the first place. The truth is...he asked me for permission to take the Hundred year mission!" Gasps arose from the guild, looking at the man sitting down with shock. They were not ignorant to the famed hundred year quest being working mages.

"B-but old man! That's a suicide mission..." Natsu started, losing some of his voice.

Then a sudden laugh roared throughout the building, everyone looked around for the source and saw Luxus with his arms crossed and eyes closed, a smile adjourning his face.

"Interesting. So, you're finally aiming for the top huh?" Gildartz grinned at the younger man, nodding his head.

"Something like that..." Standing up, he took a good luck at all his friends and comrades.

"I wanted to tell you all this before I left. Don't worry about good ol' me, alright? I decided to take this mission for a few, very personal reasons and I didn't want to worry you all for the next three years after all. But as you all noticed during the match, my strength hasn't rusted at all during the years. I'll be gone for a while, so don't cause to much trouble! Understood?" He exclaimed causing most the guild to yell in confirmation. Some were a bit teary, already going to miss there friend. Erza and Mira smiled from where they stood, having faith that the man would return safely.

"A brave man." Naruto mumbled as he watched everyone crowd the taller man. His respect for him raising even more than before. After ten or so more minutes, the master calmed everyone down saying that he had one more announcement.

"The next things I have to say...well it's a promotion!" He looked towards the area where the resident blonde was and clapped his hands.

"Today, we crown our new _**S **_classed mage, Uzumaki Naruto!" Turning their heads surprised, the guild saw a grinning Naruto waving his hands in a nonchalant manner. Many shouts of congratulations met him from numerous people including the other S classed mages, before he was confronted by his teammates and friends.

"Awesome! Congratz Naruto." Cana gave him a smile and hug, eliciting a few wolf whistles in the back. Lucky voiced the same and patted him on the back, happy for her friend.

"Not surprising..." Luxus spoke from above, eying the whiskered boy with praise. Though he wouldn't ever admit it out loud, he thought the guy deserved to be on SS class. After hearing about the fight from Fried, being able to land a hit on the man is enough of a reason to put him near SS class. He respected strong people, that was a known fact.

Therefore, he respected Naruto.

_"Hmph! I have more competition."_ And with that in mind, he walked to his table. Silently thinking of new ways to utilize his powerful lightning magic in the near future.

"Congratulations on your promotion." A voice spoke from the corner. The blonde sage turned his head and saw the familiar face of Fried walking towards him, accompanied by a grinning Bixlow and an Evergreen who's eyes were comfortably looking elsewhere.

"Yeah! I heard you were pretty good. Well, I guess Evergreen over here can vouch for that!" Bixlow said, chuckling at the slight twitch that was forming on said woman's face. As for Evergreen, she didn't say anything back. Knowing that it was indeed very true.

"Thanks guys. Looks like we're on the same boat, eh Fried?" The sage replied, glancing over to Gildartz whom was making his way towards himself.

"Indeed. If you ever need tips, be sure to ask." Nodding at his offer, they shook hands with on another. A sign of pure respect.

"Yo! Can I borrow Naruto from ya real quick?" Gildartz finally spoke, gesturing to the second floor. Nodding again towards the man, he followed him up the steps for the first time.

Arriving at a secure place, Gildartz to a moment to study his own thoughts before speaking. There were a lot of things he could say but that wasn't how he did things. Short and sweet was always his favorite saying at times.

"I'll get straight to the point. You are a very powerful mage Naruto and I wanted to ask you of a favor." Taking a deep breathe, he scratched the back of his head, a serious look upon him.

"Of course."

"Well...how do I put this? You see Naruto, the world of mages isn't that simple. I know, shocking right? That man from before, Ivan. You remember him?" Naruto nodded, remembering the night as easily as anyone could.

"He's been up to something and I don't know what. But it's easy to tell that he's aiming at us, Fairy Tail." Understanding his plight, the Naruto spoke up.

"You want me to make sure the guild is ok?" Gildartz half nodded, sighing in content.

"That too...and I want you to keep and eye on Luxus." Widening his eyes by a mere fraction, Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Why?"

"Because, Ivan's full name is Ivan Dreyher. He's his father..." Realization dawning upon him, Naruto nodded in content.

"I see...how troublesome. Very well, I'll keep a close eye on him. Anything else?" This time the man smiled genuinely, making Naruto look on in interest.

"Get stronger! I know that you were a bit disappointed by the ending a few days ago. So was I. We are both very powerful mages with egos. Some time in the future, I will return and kick your ass sonny! So get stronger and we'll fight it out." Naruto nodded in acknowledgment. It was something he's accept in a heart beat. The chance to beat an opponent whom was considered to be standing on top of the world was an opportunity he enjoyed.

"The next time we fight, it'll be a no holds barred. We go with full power. Hell, I'll even find us a good place to duke it out with out interruption." The man added, offering a hand to the younger jinchuuriki. Naruto accepted it without any hesitation.

"Men with power will always find the need to prove themselves to the world. Those who say otherwise are liars and cowards." The blonde quoted smoothly. Jiraiya had told him that many times and even published it within his famous series of books.

Gildartz chuckled. "Indeed." And with that, the two mages walked back down to the first floor.

"I'm leaving tomorrow in the morning. This will be the last time we speak in the three years. I'm goin home to finish packing up, then I'll hit the sack early. Don't wanna waste too much energy." And with that, Gildartz proceeded to leave slowly. It was a sad moment but many believed in him to return in one piece. Naruto especially, knew that he would return.

_**CRRRRSH!**_

The sound of the wall being completely shattered was heard, immediately drawing attention from the entire guild. The tall man chuckled, sheepishly.

"Ahehe...woops. I'll pay for that when I get back..." And with that, Gildartz dashed home without a single intent of paying at all. After a few moments, the entire building shared a familiar laugh. One of amusement, nostalgia and companionship all in one.

This was Fairy Tail, home to some of the most weirdest people on the planet. Much to their own pleasure.

* * *

_After the meeting_

"So...you're saying that we're going on an S ranked mission." Cana spoke slowly as if having a difficult time understanding the phrase. The meeting didn't last too long and most of the members went home soon afterwords. Naruto, however, needed to inform them of a new mission they had received.

"Yup." He replied dully. This time it was Lucky that stepped forward.

"And...you're saying that we're going right now...As in right now, right now." He nodded again.

"Yup."

"..." There nothing to be said as Cana and Lucky both continued to stare at the blonde as if he were crazy in the head. No surprise for him really, already being used to it from both life times. In fact, it was always an amusing sight to see.

"What's wrong? I thought you'd both be excited..." They shook their heads at his comment.

"It's not that...but are we really ready for that? I mean, you are Naruto but how about us? We just finished our first A ranked mission just a week ago." Understanding their plight, he sighed and started to re-think his conclusion.

"Well...if you two don't want to go, I guess I'll inform the master that I will be going alone. No sense in forcing yall to go eh? I can handle any measly Dark guild." The sage replied, his eyes closed off.

"W-wait a second! I didn't mean it like that...We're just a little shocked. I mean, this is huge! Kinda being overwhelmed here y'know." The brunette voiced quickly, eliciting a grin from the resident blonde.

"Ah well, I was planning on going now but I don't want to rush you two. I'll be leaving tonight then and well, if you guys are coming then meet me at the train. You don't have to go, just saying before hand. No pressure at all so don't come if you don't feel adequate." He finished with a small smile, walking off to the direction of his home.

"What should we do?" Lucky said as she watched Naruto leaving beyond the horizon. Like Cana, she was also a bit overwhelmed by Naruto's casual approach to an S ranked mission. It was no secret to the world that lives were indeed lost in those missions.

"Hmm." The brunette didn't have much to say, still remembering the sage's smile. She was unfamiliar with the look, seeing as Fairy Tail was always surrounded by happy features and laughter. It reminded her of a smile someone would use if they were about to go off without any reason too. A rather sad smile.

* * *

_That Night_

The silent night was always a comforting aura for him to be by. The winds were always more gentler at night then during the day. The breeze calmed his face, bringing about a genuine smile due to the sheer beauty of the scene. Naruto looked up to the stars, wondering if he'd ever see one in his future life. Feeling a tapping feel from his shoulders, he came eye to eye with his exceed partner.

"Are they coming?" She asked tiredly, obviously not welcoming the idea of traveling during the night.

"Dunno. I'll wait for about twenty more minutes. Don't want Bob to wait too long do I? Besides, train ain't here yet."

"There is no need to say such a thing. I've seen the man around during my travels. He is very patient albeit a little...weird." She added, smirking to herself.

"Weird? What do you mean?" Naruto asked, bringing out a chuckle from the blue cat.

"You'll see. He is a very odd man but powerful nonetheless. He may even be a match for you. Well...maybe. I have never seen either of you fight at full strength before. Though I think I've seen a hint of your full power..." She mused, remembering he tournament as if it were yesterday. Her muse was halted as the blonde chuckled.

"Nah...Both Gildartz and myself were no where near our full power. Didn't want Magnolia to be destroyed now do we?" Laughing at her slightly shaken look, he patted her on the head, much to her discomfort.

"Tch! Well one day. I will see your hidden power one day." The blonde grinned and shook his head.

_"I hope no one ever meets my full power." _He thought sadly, ignoring the Kyuubi's pout from the back of his head.

"So, what is this mission about?" Tayuya asked.

"I'll explain once we hit the road. Bob will be giving us a full description later on."

Looking at the sky once more, he began to think of the few months he'd spent here. His first meeting with the guild to now. It didn't take him long to built a powerful reputation and recruit good friends. His best skill was always finding ways to create more friends and bonds of trust.

Now he was thinking of his teammates. The relationship he'd created with Cana and Lucky was one of trust. Trust was always a need for teamwork or they wouldn't be otherwise. And now he trusted them to make a decision of whether or now they would come. It didn't matter to him if they came or not, but he wanted them to make sure that the decision they made was one without regrets.

* * *

_?_

In a clear white room laid many different types of runes and seals that covered nearly the entire floor and half the wall. In the middle of the intricate array laid a half dead body, in a sacrificial stance.

"Hm. Activate the seal!" One lone woman barked. In another room beside the white room sat atleast fifteen scientists watching with full attention, wanting to figure out the rune's true nature. Their master had told them of it's importance and to say they were interested was an understatement.

As the words left her mouth, the runes and seals began glowing dark red. Everyone knew what that meant, being scientists. When an offering died, red was often a fitting color to signal it. The scientists looked at the sacrificial body and indeed saw that it was slowly disappearing.

"It's working..." A red head spoke as she saw a second body being materialized. Her lord had given her many materials to work with, one including that of seals and forbidden researches. Now she was watching her hard work in action, excitement filling her body powerfully.

The sacrificial body had now completely disappeared and was replaced by another body. A man with long dark black hair, light brown eyes closed and a very feminine face overall. He laid naked and seemingly unconscious to them.

Approaching the body, the fifteen scientists started taking multiple notes on their success. Sounds of pens scribbling on paper was the dominant sound as the red headed woman looked at the face of the man they had summoned.

_"I can't believed it worked. This seal...the Kenkon Kawirimi (Universe Replacement) seal actually worked. So this man is actually one of my Lord's greatest generals of war? He doesn't look very powerful...Maybe we made a mistake."_ She thought with dismay, obviously displeased with the possibility of disappointing her master. Closing her eyes for a mere second, she widened her eyes as a scream was heard from behind her.

"Wh-" Was all she could before half turning into ice. Turning her head around, she saw the formerly unconscious man looking at her with a powerful glare.

"Who are you...and where am I?" He growled dangerously. The woman was slightly shaken by the seemingly harmless man turning into a dangerous predator.

"I-I am Ursane! My Lord asked me to summon you here..." The man rose his brows, still confused.

"Lord? Who is this Lord!" He replied.

"H-He suspected that you'd be hostile like this so...he told me to give you something." Gesturing to her front pocket, the man took out a plain, small piece of folded paper. Reading the contents, a slow smirk began to arise from his features.

"I see...so the _Juudaime_ has called me to battle once again. Ha! This will be fun!" Laughing hysterically at the situation, he unfroze her, much to her relief. The dark haired man looked at the woman with amusement.

"So...you are serving him eh? Take me to him. He owes his me a damn good explanation." She nodded.

"Very well. I shall call him to the ship. But first... can you unfreeze my subordinate?" Looking at her frozen lackies, the man smiled innocently and shattered them to pieces, shocking the red headed woman at his casualness.

"That is what they deserve for summoning me while I was busy. You are lucky that I need you to bring me to your "_Lord' _or you'd be dead as well._"_ She nodded, intimidated by the man's calm but dangerous aura. Looking at him carefully, she noticed a veteran look in his eyes. The feeling he was giving off was almost as sinister as her own master but in a different matter. Now she saw it. The monster that they had summoned.

The mighty Leviathan had finally awaken from his cold slumber.

* * *

_Magnolia_

Twenty minutes into waiting and so sign of his friends left him slightly disappointed. Not at his teammates but rather at the decision they made. There was no sight of them.

"Well, time to go. Are you gonna be asleep? The trip will be pretty long y'know..." Naruto said aloud.

"Hm." Hearing the train approach, he began walking away slowly.

As he was about to enter, a card flew down before him along with roots growing on his foot. Smiling at the sudden gesture, Naruto turned around and saw both his teammates running towards him at full speeds.

"Wait for us!" They screamed out, carrying numerous bags on them.

"YOUR LATE!" He yelled pointing at the train behind him. Smiling when they both tackled him and a half asleep Tayuya in right before the door closed. When they got up, the team shared a small chuckle.

"Sorry, we were just packing." Cana told him with a smile. The blonde nodded and gestured to the seats behind them.

"C'mon...I'll give you guys the briefing." They nodded, now entering their professional stance. As Naruto was in front of the seats he looked at them with a more genuine smile.

"I'm glad you guys came...Would have been boring if I had to do this myself." He said, eliciting a growl from his shoulders.

"Oh...sorry hehe. I meant, do this alone with Tayuya." Chuckling, he placed the folders in front of them.

"So what's in this?" Lucky voiced.

"This is a brief description of the request. Apparently, a Dark guild has been running a muck around a certain area. Blue Pegasus would usually handle this area but they sent a help request. Most of their members have been out of action recently ya see." Opening the document, gasps came from them as they read of the situation.

"T-this is terrible." The violet haired teen spoke, her brunette friend also agreeing from the side.

"Indeed. Bob will give us a full briefing later. So for now...let's enjoy the ride."

* * *

_At Blue Pegasus_

"WHAT!"

The scream shook everyone within the vicinity. The source of which was a green haired, dark eye woman that looked to be near her twenties. She had many followers behind her much to the master's displeasure.

"What do you mean by that? Why are you giving me this job tomorrow! I don't want to work with some stupid Fairies! They always cause a lot of trouble. Me and Ichiya will be enough!" The rant went on and on until the master, Bob, finally grew tired. He was usually a very patient...man. But there were times when the woman in front of her just drove him crazy. From her selfish nature to her slutty and dirty attitude.

"Hmph! You will listen to me or...do you want _that _punishment?" His killer intent began shrouding him, effectively making the woman stop in her tracks.

"W-what! Fine, dammit!" And with that, she stormed out of the room. Her followers following her with glee. Bob sighed in dismay, hoping his decision wouldn't cause too many problems.

_"I pity the man that has to deal with Karen..."_

_

* * *

_

End.

Ah well, it's not my best chapter. In fact, I think it was my worst hehe. It felt like writing the first chapter again which I had a hard time with as well. I guess this is the problem with starting new arcs.

Yeah, Karen and Ichiya will be joining the Fray later on. Oh and I managed to give you sneak preview at a new enemy. I am not trying too hard on being subtle so you guys who figured out the other will indeed figure this one out. I have also put in my first OC. She won't be having too much time on screen.

I've been fighting my Writers Block so I will have to ask you all to forgive me for the wait. The updates will be longer from here on out since I need time to think of appropriate dialogues and such.

Ah well, other than that. Down below, you will see Naruto's character corner.

-X-

_Uzumaki Naruto, "The Dragon of the West"._

_**Specialty: **__Tactical __Combat, Espionage and Assassination._

_**Mage Classification: **__Just recently awarded S-classed._

_**Statistics:**__ 15 missions. 7 C-ranks, 7 B-ranks and 1 A-rank. Completed with little difficulty overall._

_Extras: According to Makarov and nearly everyone in Magnolia, he is able to combat Luxus, Erza and Mirajane without too much trouble. His true power level is still considered ? by the council of mages. And he is seen with a cat riding upon his shoulders. _

_-X-_

I will be doing a Character Corner every now and then. Sometimes, I'll put a "technique" corner as well to list the techniques he's used so far with their descriptions.

And that is it! Thank you for reading.

_~Sniper Artist_


	12. Tarots

_**The Dragon of the West**_

_A Fanfiction by: Sniper Artist_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Fairy Tail. I am only using their respective characters for a fanfiction._

_Summary: Upon his tearful death, Naruto meets a dragon. Given a second chance to live, he is sent to Fiore or more specifically Magnolia. Pre-canon Fairy Tail. Naruto X Fairy tail_

* * *

_Blue Pegasus_

"Wow, this place is pretty cool."

The ten hour ride to their destination was filled with much talk and laughter from the three. When they arrived, it was still early morning and they didn't bother going to the guild until the afternoon so the team went to a hotel to rest up a bit. The three shared the room due to the insistence of Cana whom was quite cheap when it came to these type of lodgings. And now, after a half hour of mindless walking, they had finally arrived to the guild.

The building itself, was a mansion of sorts. The inside was designed to be very authentic, which was proven by the sheer amount of shiny twinkles from the walls. Everything was as clean as Naruto could possibly imagine himself.

"Indeed. Now, let's go find the master." Naruto mentioned, looking around for anyone in the vicinity. He was about to ascend the stairs before something caught his eye. And that something was a sight to never forget... Unfortunately.

"Hello ~ honey!" It was a very awkward meeting. The man, Naruto thought, was standing right above them in a seemingly white dress suit and a rose decoration on his chest. Looking closely, Naruto recognized a chain belt that held various types of lab type bottles. But the scariest thing was the man's severely disfigured face. Never in his life, has the young sage seen such an ugly person. He heard the Kyuubi laughing his ass of from within his seal, and he himself was on the verge of cracking up furiously. Covering his mouth with his hands, he attempted to control the urge to just out right laugh!

_"C'mon Naruto! You're the 7th Hokage, control yourself!"_ He thought furiously to himself. Curious to his teammate's reaction, the blonde casted a brief look to them, only to see the facial disfigured man harassing his teammates.

"What the hell are you doing!" He growled, forgetting his previous laughter. Marching towards the man, he proceeded to kick him straight into the wall, leaving a slight foot mark on the man's suit. And with all this happening, Naruto had completely missed Tayuya's look of brief fright.

_"W-was that Nichiya! N-no impossible...Nichiya is an exceed." _The blue cat thought to herself, sighing in relief.

"Hey ~ What the hell is your problem? I'm just trying to make your teammates more..._comfortable." _Cana and Lucky nearly puked at the subtle hint while Naruto started rolling his sleeves.

"Well, _you_ better get comfortable because I'm about to kick your ass!" As he was about to charge, another blonde man caught his shoulders from behind. Unfazed by this, Naruto turned his head and saw a man with spiky yellow hair and tinted glasses, wearing a suit that was a formal black.

"Now, now. You must forgive Ichiya here. He's kinda...like that." The man spoke with a smile. Calming down, Naruto sighed and scratched his head.

"Alright, but if he does that again, I'm gonna skewer him till you won't even recognize him anymore._ But _it seems like someone beat me to doing that already." Glaring at the man furiously. The now identified Ichiya, had just felt as if a huge monster had just set his sights on him as prey.

"Anyways, my name is Uzumaki Naruto and this is my team." He gestured, allowing the two to step up.

"Cana Alberona. Pleasure." She smiled, bowing lightly at the blonde man.

"Lucky Ollietta. Nice to meet you." The violet haired woman did the same, only for the other man to wave his hands in defense, grinning.

"Nah, no formalities. I'm just any other man..." Forgetting his manors for a moment, he decided to straighten up.

"My name is Leo. Karen is still in her room preparing for the mission, so I apologize for that. Master Bob will be coming down in a few minutes as well." As soon as he said that, Leo set his gaze at Ichiya.

"Aren't you gonna introduce yourself, Ichiya?"

"Of course ~ Hellooo, honey. My name is Ichiya Wanderlei Kotobuki ~, it's an honor to make your acquaintance." And with that, the man laid down on his knees in front of Cana and kissed her hands. Naruto has suddenly felt the urge to kick his ass but Cana waved him off, much to his relief.

"U-um...Hi." It was weird for the brunette, never having such a bold and weird person.

"Oh ~ such beauty...May I have the honor of giving you a massage?" The brunette shook her head in the negative.

"Um, no thanks." And with that, the short man launched off towards Lucky. Sweatdropping, Cana couldn't help but give the man a weird look.

_"Talk about a fast rebounder..."_

"Anyways...so it seems he will be part of our joint mission huh? I mean, if this guy comes along, I just might go insane." Naruto deadpanned, making Leo chuckle lightly.

"Erh...Karen can be a little...flirty with you but do your best to ignore that. She does it with every man she fancies..." Nodding, Naruto just wished he got to work with regular people but that was seemingly not the case here.

"Not a problem..." Just as he said that, steps could be heard from the stairs, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. They all watched to see a stunningly beautiful woman walk down the hall with calculated steps, she had green hair flowing down to her back. Naruto could only guess that this person was Karen.

Now from said woman's point of view, she was quite surprised when she spotted an above averaged handsome blonde in the lobby with his eyes seemingly on her. Looking closely, she saw that his eyes were sea ocean blue with what looked like whisker-like scars on his cheeks, giving him a feral look. She rose a brow, wondering who he may be.

"Oi, who're you guys?" It was Cana that answered.

"We're from Fairy Tail." As she was about to continue, the green haired woman fixed a glare at her.

"I wasn't talking to you! Now, you blonde. Who are _you?" _For some odd reason, Naruto just knew this mission wouldn't end well. With Cana glaring at her like she is now, the team dynamics would be crushed to pieces in a mere second.

"Please refrain from speaking to my teammate like that. Other then that, my name is Uzumaki Naruto. We're here about the joint mission." Eyes widening slightly at the recognition, she began to smirk slowly. Her opinion of the mission was starting to rise suddenly.

"I see. Bob is gonna be here any second...Ah, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Karen Lilica." She smiled slyly, inwardly smirking when he noticed the other brunette woman growling.

"Name's Cana Alberona...Pleasure." The brunette gritted out, obviously displeased by her attitude.

"I'm Lucky Ollietta, nice to meet you." The violet haired girl said as well. Karen shook her head and sighed.

"I don't care who you two are." She deadpanned, further angering Cana to the point when Lucky had to hold her shoulder for reassurance.

"Anyways..." Karen slyly made her way towards the blonde Jinchuuriki, making feel slightly uncomfortable since his brown haired teammate was glaring at their direction.

"How about you and me..." The moss colored woman started before being stopped abruptly be a voice from above.

"My, my, that's enough Karen. I think our guests here came for business are they not?" They all heard a voice from above. Naruto couldn't believe the sight he had just witnessed. Again was there a man that just didn't seem to know the meaning of persona hygiene. Bob, the master of Blue Pegasus, was a bald man wearing what looked to be pink top that just seemed to be more on the feminine side and wings on his back. The blonde winced his eyes carefully and saw what looked to be powder on his cheeks to make a blush apparent on his features.

_"What is wrong with this world? And I thought Gai and Lee had weird features! Stop, Stop! Ok, calm down Naruto. You're the mighty 7th Hokage! You've met far weirder things than this, remember Orochimaru's cursed seal! Yeah, that was weird!" _Tayuya saw his expression and laughed silently, knowing full well what would happen.

"Ahh, you must be Uzumaki Naruto. I have heard of your deeds from the gossip of my guild. It's a pleasure meeting you." The blonde nodded back.

"N-no. The pleasure is all mine, Bob-san. Now, if I may. I would like to get down to business as soon as possible." The master complied and flew over to one of the more comfortable table. He gestured for them all to follow suit.

"Ok, as you may have figured out from the description, this mission will be a joint operation between Fairy Tail and Blue Pegasus. Correct?" Team Otherworld nodded, remembering the mention on a footnote.

"Good. I planned on sending Ichiya and Karen here with you four." Naruto turned to the other blonde at the table.

"What about Leo here? Isn't he coming on this mission as well?" It was Karen that nodded.

"He's my _Stellar Spirit. _Leo the Lion." She held out his key, a sign of ownership. Naruto narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.

"I see...my apologies. Please continue on."

"No problem. Now, as for those nasty rumors that have been spreading..." Bob re-started, allowing his voice to take a more serious tone.

"Every single bit of it is true. People have been getting kidnapped and found later...without any organs and facial features recognizable. I doubt we'd even know who they were without our magic. That is how bad it had gotten. Over twenty victims have been claimed, most of which were teenagers from the ages of sixteen to nineteen." Gasps were heard from the ladies of Fairy Tail, obviously frightened by the mere thought. Karen, being that she already knew of the rumors, winced slightly.

Tayuya didn't react very strongly, already having a strong dislike of humans. This was just another quirk in her eyes. Leo, being the ever so careless man, did not react at all. Ichiya looked slightly grim in the face and as for Naruto...well he just kept his eyes forward, not wanting to miss any minor detail escape him.

"We are still unsure of the culprit's true goal...but we know who the culprits are."

"Who?" Naruto voiced.

"The Dark Guild, _**Deslizarse. **_Their hideout is somewhere in the forest to the east of here. My guild has not been able to perform a proper "Seek and Hunt" mission because my top mages have been out of commission for a while...That is why I called Makarov for some help." The sage nodded, understanding his logic, having done the same during his kage days.

"Hmm, what do you propose we do? Bob-san." The flying man took a moment to think.

"Hmm, I would scout the area in teams before launching an attack plan. Information is your true ally on this mission, so that should be your most important goal." Naruto smirked, having thought the same.

"I thought the same...Hmm, I'll take care of the information gathering." He started before he remembered what his master had said.

"Actually..Everyone on my team will be doing the information gathering. How about Karen, Ichiya and Leo scout the jungle. We won't be long, will that suffice with you guys?" Naruto proposed to the group.

"Sounds good!" Cana replied first, followed by Lucky whom was quiet from the side.

"I agree and you should too Karen." Leo said, having caught a glane of disapproval from his master's face.

"Tch! Fine. Never saw any reason for all that though. It would be better if we just stormed the place." Karen grunted. Bob shook his head.

"Please ignore everything that she says Naruto-kun. She is a powerful mage but her wits are very poor...along with many other things." The master voiced, causing an indignant shout from said woman.

"Hmph, it is fine with me. I don't mind ~ spending more time with Karen-chan." Ichiya said from the side, making a shiver run up Karen's spine. Leo chuckled and patted her on the back.

"It won't be that bad. Besides, Ichiya is pretty dependable..." A snort was heard from Karen.

"Yeah, very dependable unless fighting a beautiful woman." That caused said man to pout pathetically.

"We will meet up tonight at 8 at this guild and from there, we'll plan an attack." Everyone nodded and stood up.

"Tayuya, I want you to take us to where your informant is." Turning around, he saw his two teammates looking a bit flustered.

"You guys nervous?" He asked, eliciting a small nod from both occupants.

"Yeah...not to mention that Karen chick is annoying as hell! Dammit, my first S-rank has to be with someone like her..."

"I felt the same way. And the way she remarked about Leo-san being her Stellar Spirit. It felt really...sinister in a way." Lucky added.

"I understand how you feel. But don't worry about it, if anything happens, I'll take care of it. For now, I just want you two to get used to the feeling of being on this mission. It's important that you keep your heads focused at all times." Accepting the voice of their leader, they smiled and looked to one another with reassurance.

"Good. Now, let's go find Tayuya-chan's little friend."

* * *

_?_

It was a good day to be evil.

Especially when two of the most frightening warriors in the world were meeting from atop the flying ship, _Beatrice. _Two people were speaking to each other in a tone that could only be heard between two long time acquaintances. One was a man whom wore his usual hooded cloak and black pants. The other man wore a loose, buttoned white shirt with a blue vest over it and blue pants that had white snow designs upon it.

"Tch! So...it is you Juudaime. Where the hell have you been! Nearly half the army has fallen when you disappeared suddenly!" The dark haired man spat, glaring at the hooded man in front of him. Instead of showing fear, the other man just laughed as if he had gotten the same scolding over a million times.

"Maah, is that how you greet an old friend?"

"Friend! Ha! I don't have any friends and if I did, I sure as hell ain't foolish enough to make friends with you!" That made the hooded man laugh even harder.

"Maah, that isn't a nice thing to say. C'mon, Ha-" He was cut off by the other man's sharp glare.

"Don't you dare speak that name!" The recently resurrected man gritted out, eyes boring holes of fire within him.

"Fine, fine. I'll just call you _Snow." _

They then both stood there for another moment, going through their many thoughts. It was a blatant fact that the two clearly despised one another though it was better hidden on one side rather than the other. But whether or not anyone could sense it, the respect they shared was great. For they were both very powerful.

"So... are you gonna explain to me just where the hell have you been during the last three years? I have all day." The man nodded and gestured for him to stay silent.

"Tell me, Snow. What do you know of _The Gate?" _The question left the man confused.

"Tch! _The Gate_, as you call it, is a story told to young children. It also comes with a short story that tells of the _"Ending of one world and the beginning of another"_. That's all I know seeing as it is just a myth." The hooded man chuckled in a haunted tone, blue eyes being shown very briefly under his veil.

"Snow, my friend. I assure you, the Gate is no myth." Snow looked at him as if asking him to continue but was caught off guard when he started laughing.

This was when it got interesting.

_~ Antebellum_

* * *

_?_

Team Otherworld approached a lanky, foul alley way with much caution. Of course, it didn't bother the leader of the group at all due to the sheer amount of experience he's had in these types of situations. The other two, while calm, they were also overly cautious and very nervous. Cana and Lucky were excellent mages but there were times when the nerves really got to them.

"Is this the place?" Naruto asked, nodding when he saw his partners face of approval.

"Yes. She likes to stay in alley ways, but for goodness sakes! Doesn't she ever clean the place?" The cat exclaimed comically to herself, breathing within her clothing to escape the rank smell.

"Ararara, it's not my fault. I am a busy person, Tayuya-hime!" Naruto turned to the voice with suspicion at first, but it was quickly changed to amusement when he saw yet another small figure with feline ears standing from what seemed to be a window. She wore a blue, gown dress that had a pink flower design to it. Her eyes were round and puffy while her face featured three whisker marks on it.

"Whoa! I didn't know Happy had so many relatives." Tayuya almost smacked him but opted to sigh.

"Naruto...she is a human." The sage's eyes widened, along with his teammates whom thought like him.

"W-what? I mean, she looks just like you..." Lucky stuttered. Tayuya sighed and face palmed.

"I apologize for their idiocy, Amelia-han." The now identifed, Amelia, whom really was just an old, short lady just laughed it off.

"Ararara, no worries Tayuya-hime. Everyone thinks the same." And with that, she took off the fake cat ears making team Otherworld face fault comically.

"So you must be Tayuya-hime's new friend. I've heard many things about you, Uzumaki Naruto or should I call you the _Dark Dragon?"_ Naruto widened his eyes.

"Rumors spread fast..." He mention. He received yet another nickname after his fight with Gildartz. It was a smaller version of his prior nickname.

"Tch! Don't underestimate the power of gossip! Information is victory!" Amelia exclaimed, eyes burning with passion. Though he didn't look it, he agreed whole-heartedly. In the world of lies and conceit, information was as essential as food and water. You couldn't live without it. Too bad he learned that lesson too late.

"Well, enough of that. Please come in and make yourselves at home. A friend of Tayuya-hime's is a friend of mine." She gestured to a door on her right.

"Thank you." The team said simultaneously. As Naruto entered through the door, he was promptly surprised as he accidently slammed his head into what seemed like a wall. Rubbing his head again, he looked again and saw that it was actually the ceiling. The door looked to be normal sized but the room was actually a size fit for smaller people. Tayuya smirked to herself, though it did not go unnoticed from the blonde.

"...You think that's funny don't ya?" Naruto twitched, ignoring the chuckling of his teammates from behind him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about..." The exceed replied amused but her face completely betraying her words. If he was younger, Naruto would definitely throw a tantrum but opted to sigh, he was a grown man now. The bump on his head hurt though.

"Hm... why does this situation remind me of something I saw in a movie..." Naruto mumbled as he carefully entered through the door the second time. The sage was pleasantly surprised by the place, it was comfortable. He rose a brow at the table with what seemed to be intricately designed cards on it. This also made Cana look on in interest.

"Tarots?" She voiced.

"Ararara, I have a fortune telling business. You want me to tell yours?" The old woman smirked at their gazes. Cana was excited and Lucky was the same but less vocal. Naruto on other hand, looked a little disappointed.

"Uhh, sorry. We came for information." Cana lightly tapped him on the shoulders. Tilting his head, Naruto widened his eyes when saw the cute puppy dog "look" she and Lucky had on. Both pouting and eyes rounded into circles, a heart breaker for him.

"Please...?" They both said, eyes shining brilliantly. Sweatdropping, he was always a sucker for these type of things. The sage sighed at his submissive nature.

"Alright, but after we have our work done." Cana gave him a hug and thank you, seemingly glad that her plan worked.

"Ararara, now let's get on with this. I'm guessing you four came to talk about the kidnappings?" They nodded.

"Yes, we were hoping that you could give us a better insight of the situation." The cat like woman sighed and began to contemplate her thoughts.

"The kidnappings started a little over a month ago. My friend's daughter was taken just a week ago and they still haven't found her. I...believe the kidnappers may be trying to use them as sacrifices..."

"Sacrifices? For what?" Cana asked, eyes laced with curiosity.

"Ararara, this is a long story..." Amelia started, sighing as she began. "A long time ago, in this very region, a powerful religion dominated the community. The name of this certain religion was lost throughout the years...but we do know that the leader of _**Deslizarse **_is a member of it. He must of had some descendant that practiced it for him to even remember it. In this religion, there was a prophecy. A prophecy that one day, a _Dragon_ would come and destroy their people and if they couldn't summon a hero, they wouldn't be able to defeat him. To summon a hero, they would have to sacrifice thirty-five pure souls...and a mother." And with that, she took a breather. Taking a brief moment to take a look at their faces and noticed the gazes of horror from Cana and Lucky while Naruto and Tayuya was clearly disgusted.

"And it seems...that day has come. Eh, Uzumaki Naruto?"

The Dragon of the West closed his eyes, un-willing to believe that he would be dictated by a mere prophecy.

"I don't believe in prophecies." The plain answer was filled with silent conviction that made her chuckle.

"I see...well, that is all I know for now. I apologize if it is insufficient." Naruto shook his head.

"This information may be vital. Thank you, Amelia-san." He stood up and bowed slightly, along with his teammates whom also voiced their thanks.

"Yes, thank you Amelia-han." Tayuya spoke from his shoulders.

"Now, now, no thanks necessary. An old lady is always willing to help with whatever she has. Now...about that fortune you wanted?" Cana and Lucky smiled widely, obviously wanting to go. Naruto chuckled and stood up.

"I'll be waiting outside." They nodded and watched as he and Tayuya carefully left through the door. When he was out of hearing shot, Amelia grew a smirk.

"So...what do you ladies want to know about your future?" Cana grinned. She shared a look with Lucky and nodded. Before she even got to tell the woman, Amelia waved them off.

"I know that look. I used to be young as well... Alright let's get this started." She took out a deck of Tarots and placed them on the deck. Everyone looked carefully at the card in front of them. Cana and Lucky looked on with confusion but none more so that Amelia herself. She remembered the words of her own master when this certain card would be drawn.

_The Arcana is by which all is revealed. There are always those who cannot let go of their pasts...and one cannot certainly escape it. The moon..._

"The moon in the downright position... This means..."

* * *

_Twenty minutes later..._

Naruto was trying his best to think of a strategy to deal with the situation. In his entire life, not once did he enjoy attempting a mission with a possible hostage situation in it. Those kinds of missions were usually given to the best of the best in ANBU, he would know of course. If one mistake were to be made, the consequences would be dire and problems would go awry.

"I'm gonna need your illusion magic for this one, Tayuya-chan." He spoke aloud, catching this cat's attention.

"I figured." She deadpanned making the blonde crack a grin.

"You're way smarter than I thought. How powerful can your illusions get? I need one that can blind a mage for a full...ten seconds in the least." Naruto replied.

"I'll manage, Naruto. What you need to be getting worried about are your teammates. Like you said before, this is no fun and games this time around." The blonde sighed.

"Indeed. Speaking of them..." He began as he eyed both of them, walking down the alley with a grin on there faces. Too bad Naruto was far too good at reading underneath the underneath.

_"Interesting. They were excited about finding out their fortunes and then leaves with the worst fake grin I've ever seen. Hmm...maybe I should leave them alone." _The blonde thought to himself as he felt their eyes looking at him.

"Done already?" They nodded.

"Yeah, we have a mission after all." Cana spoke out first.

"We don't want to make Karen and Ichiya wait after all." Lucky added, smirking at the thought of making the bothersome woman spending more time with the perverted oaf.

"Indeed. Let's roll."

* * *

_The Eastern Forest_

Karen was very, very annoyed at the moment. If she wasn't his master, Leo would be cracking up at the sight of her darkened face.

Well, it all started when Ichiya decided that he'd tag along with her route. And those twenty minutes of walking suddenly felt like two hours. The man was ugly, obnoxious, stupid, weak and worst of all perverted. She was sure, that if it wasn't for Leo being there, the man would already be dead by her hands.

"Are ~ you sure you don't want me to..._show you the way_?" Not to mention his pick up lines suck. He didn't even notice as he stepped on a trip wire.

"Ichiya...I swear if you keep going on and on, I'm gonna k-"

"Whoa there! What's that?" Leo spoke hastily, not having any problems with breaking up there conversation.

They looked to where he pointed and saw a door hidden by numerous amounts of vine webbing. Karen, being ever so professional, took a look at the sight and knew it was a Dark guild at first sight. The setting was within the correct area and she was sure that the crest of Deslizarse was on it as well.

"Good...Leo, what else can you sense from within there?" She turned to him, only to see his eyes widened.

"We should leave! Now!" He silently exclaimed, grabbing his master by the arms, pulling her back to where they came from.

"What is going on?" Karen yelled indignantly at the blonde man.

"They've spotted us! We need to run!" She smirked and retracted her arm, causing confusion.

"What are you doing, Karen?" Leo said with Ichiya agreeing.

"Cowards! We can take them. They're only a measly Dark guild after all." Karen voiced, causing Leo to growl slightly.

"Fool! We're outnumbered and Deslizarse is famous for their..." He never got to finish as a single person jumped in between the three of them. Completely shocked by this, Leo and Ichiya was forced to jump back as the man knocked Karen out with a single chop, sending her to the ground.

"For our... sneakiness? Yes, the forest is out home after all." He said with an unconscious Karen in his arms. The man wore a camouflage-type cloak around him with short baggy pants. He had black shaggy like hair and dark eyes.

"We of Deslizarse are the strongest in the forest! And now...I'm gonna be having fun with this little lady in a second, hahahaha!" Leo growled at the man, only to get laughed at. Looking around, he realized that they were surrounded by what seemed to be fifteen mages.

"C'mon now. We live in the forest! Don't you think we'd have traps to alert you of your presence? Don't underestimate Dark guilds!"

"Dammit! What should we do?" Ichiya asked Leo, obviously ill-prepared for this situation. Leo frowned and looked around.

"I'll make an opening for you to run! Find Naruto!" He nodded. Leo took a look at his hands and smirked as his rings appeared.

"Close your eyes." Leo told Ichiya, whom complied.

_**"Zenith of Regulus, Shishikoyo! (Lion Brilliance)" **_Creating a sudden flash of light, blinding their attackers for an instant, Leo started to attack the man that held Karen. Ichiya who understood what to do in that one instant, dashes off to find their back up.

"Oh? You guys have back up? No matter! No one can defeat us in the forest." The man said, looking at Leo smugly.

"Hehe, you'll find that our back up is quite formidable. Enough of that! I'm taking back Karen!"

"Tch! Please, we have her hostage. You... wouldn't want her to get hurt now would you?" The stellar spirit gritted his teeth, obviously angry at the moment. He took another moment to nod.

"Good...now leave. I don't need a stellar spirit like you in the way." Leo could only watch as he held a knife to Karen. Returning to his own world, the man only had one last thought.

_"Hurry up, Ichiya!"_

_

* * *

_

_End_.

Sorry I took so long. The mission is gonna end next chapter so you can expect that much.

As for Snow, well that's a code name of course. You won't see him and the hooded guy till the end of the arc. Haha, I also did some Tarot reading in this chapter so...feel free to figure that one out.

I'm releasing a third story from a challenge I accepted the other day so feel free to check it out.

Technique corner.

-X-

_**Yoryuu no Hoko (Night Dragon's Howl) **_

_**Description: An attack that deals "Void" damage to an enemy. Void damage is said to be the most painful type since it's a mixture of both mental and physical damage. The user sends a calculated amount of magical "Darkness" to strike the opponent fiercely. Depending on the user, it can easily eradicate a building in seconds.**_

_**Rank: B - S+**_

_**Users: Uzumaki Naruto, Tridantes.**_

_**-X-**_

Void damage? I made that up. Like how "Exquip" is a made up term from the show.

Well, enjoy.

_~ Sniper Artist_


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